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The  Two  Wayb. 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS; 


OR, 


FROM  GOOD-NIGHT  TO  GOOD-MORNING. 


By   ALICE  CORKRAN, 

Author  of  "Margery  Merton's  Oirlhood,"  etc.,  etc. 
WITH  SIXTY  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY   GORDON  BROWNE. 


NEW  yoek: 
A.  L.  BURT,  PUBLISHER, 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Christmas  Eve 1 

CHAPTER  n. 
Kitty  and  Johnnie 17 

CHAPTER  HI. 
Down  the  Snow  Stairs 34 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Naughty  Children  Land 48 

CHAPTER  V. 
' '  To  Daddy  Coax's  House  " 67 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Daddy  Coax 85 

CHAPTER  VII. 
On  the  Other  Side  of  the  Stream 112 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Pictures  in  the  Fog 123 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Love  Speaks 151 

CHAPTER  X. 
In  the  Wood 162 


iv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XL 

PAGE 

Kitty  Dances  with  Strange  Partners 177 

CHAPTER  XH. 
"  Eat  or  Be  Eaten  " 192 

CHAPTER   Xni. 
Play-Ground,  and  After 206 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
"  I  and  Myself  " 215 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Was  it  Jolinnie's  Face  ? 229 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
At  the  Gate 242 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

The  Two  Ways Frontispiece. 

Restless  Kitty 1 

Johnnie  and  His  Art  Treasures 5 

The  Snow-Man facing  16 

Down  the  Wide  Staircase 16 

Kitty's  Tears 23 

Sliding  Down  the  Balusters 28 

The  Snow-Man  Visits  Kitty 35 

Following  the  Snow-Man 39 

The  Drollest  Creature 40 

Kitty  and  the  Elf 45 

Broken  Toy  Land 49 

A  Dismal  Chorus 51 

' '  A  black  creature  glared  at  her  " 54 

A  Disagreeable  Acquaintance 56 

Little  Cruel-Heart 61 

A  Good  Fight 64 

The  Song  of  the  Sillies 69 

"  I  am  not  vain  " 73 

A  Jam-Tart  Too  Many 78 

Kitty  and  Daddy  Coax 87 


Vi  LIST  OF  ILL  U8TRA  TI0N8. 

PAGE 

A  Lively  Wig  89 

Sweetening  the  Fury 95 

All  Jam  and  No  Powder 98 

Little  Spitfire     100 

The  Fight  for  the  Flute facing  108 

The  Shadow  of  the  Rod Ill 

"  Peering  out  of  the  mist" 114 

The  White-Robed  Stranger 119 

Entangled  in  the  Web 123 

The  Tramp  of  Weary  Feet 126 

Ice-Children 130 

The  Right  One  to  Kick 133 

A  Hard  Lesson 139 

"  Oh,  to  be  hungry  again!" 141 

Faces!  Faces! — a  World  of  Faces! facing  145 

The  Cry  for  the  Kiss 152 

Kitty's  Guardian  Child 155 

Kitty's  Naughty-Self  Goblin 161 

The  Hanging  Dwarf 166 

Goblin  Sloth 169 

"  Real  yawning  " 172 

"  At  one  bound  she  sprang  across" 176 

The  Frog-Like  One 178 

Step,  Wriggle,  and  Bow 181 

The  Little  Courtiers 185 

Kitty's  Musings 188 

Apple-Pie  Corner facing  193 


LIST  OF  ILL  TJSTRA  TI0N8.  vu 

PAGE 

The  Boy  with  the  Suetty  Voice 199 

Struggling  Onward  204 

I  and  Myself 217 

Mr.  Take-care-of-himself 220 

"  A  cripple  like  Johnnie  " 226 

A  Merry  Game 232 

The  Goblin  Crew 236 

Out  of  the  Mist ... 241 

At  the  Locked  Gate 244 

The  Mist  of  Punishment  Land 248 

Home  Again 251 

"  It  is  a  secret " 254 


CHAPTER  I. 


CHEISTMAS     EVE. 


Toss  !  toss  !  from  one  side  to  the  other ;  still 
Kitty  could  not  sleep. 

The  big  round  moon  looked  in  at  the  window, 
for  the  curtain  had  not  been  drawn,  and  it  made 
a  picture  of  the  window  on  the  wall  opposite, 
and  showed  the  pattern  on  the  paper ;  nosegays 
of  roses,  tied  with  blue  ribbon  ;  roses  and  knots 
of  blue  ribbon ;  like  no  roses  Kitty  had  ever 
seen,  and  no  blue  ril)l)on  she  had  ever  bought. 


a  DO  WN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

Toss  !  toss  !  toss  !  she  shut  her  eyes  not  to 
see  the  picture  of  the  window  on  the  wall  or 
the  roses  and  the  blue  ribbon,  yet  she  could 
not  go  to  sleep.  It  was  always  toss !  toss  ! 
from  one  side  to  the  other. 

It  was  Christmas  Eve,  and  outside  the  world 
was  white  with  snow. 

"  It  had  been  a  dreadful  day,"  Kitty  said  to 
herself.  "  The  last  nine  days  had  been  dread- 
ful days,  and  this  had  been  the  dreadfulest  of 
all." 

Her  brother  Johnnie  was  very  ill ;  he  was 
six  years  old,  just  two  years  younger  than  her- 
self ;  but  he  was  much  smaller,  being  a  tiny 
cripple.  Next  to  her  mother  Kitty  loved  him 
more  than  anybody  in  the  whole  world. 

All  tlirough  those  "  dreadful  "  nine  days  slie 
had  not  been  aHowed  to  see  him.  She  liad 
many  times  knelt  outside  his  door,  and  listened 
to  his  fee])le  moan,  but  she  had  not  been  per- 
mitted to  enter  his  room. 

That  morning  slie  had  asked  the  doctor  if 
she  could  see  Johnnie,  as  it  was  Christmas  Eve. 
The  doctor  had   shaken    liis    liead    and    })atted 


CHRISTMAS  EVE.  3 

her  h^ir.  "  He  must  not  ])e  excited  ;  he  is  still 
veiy  ill.  If  he  gets  better  after  to-night — then 
— perhaps  !"  he  said. 

She  had  overheard  what  he  whispered  to 
Nurse.  "  To-night  will  decide ;  if  he  pulls 
through  to-night." 

All  day  Kitty  had  thought  of  those  words. 

"To-night,  if  he  pulls  through  to-night." 
What  did  they  mean  ?  did  they  mean  that 
Johnnie  might  die  to-night  ? 

She  had  w^aited  outside  Johnnie's  room ;  but 
her  mother  had  said,  "  No  ;  you  cannot  go  in  ;" 
and  Nurse  had  said,  "  You  will  make  Johnnie 
worse  if  you  stand  about,  and  he  hears  your 
step." 

Kitty's  heart  was  full  of  misery.  "  It  Avas 
unkind  not  to  let  me  in  to  see  Johnnie," 
she  said  again  and  again  to  herself.  She 
loved  him  so  much  !  She  loved  him  so  much  ! 
Then  there  was  a  "  dreadful  "  reason  why  his 
illness  was  worse  for  her  to  bear  than  for  any 
one  else.  Kitty  remembered  that  ten  days  ago 
there  had  been  a  snow-storm ;  when  the  snow 
had  ceased  she  had  gone  out  and  made  snow- 


4  BO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

balls  in  the  garden,  and  she  had  asked  her 
mother  if  Johnnie  might  come  out  and  make 
snow-balls  also. 

"  On  no  account,"  her  mother  had  answered  ; 
"  Johnnie  is  weak  ;  if  he  caught  a  cold  it  would 
be  very  bad  for  him." 

Kitty  remembered  how  the  next  morning  she 
had  gone  into  the  meadow  leading  out  of  the 
garden.  There  tlie  gardener  had  helped  her 
to  make  a  snow-man ;  and  tliey  liad  })ut  a  pii)e 
into  his  mouth.  She  had  danced  around  the 
snow-man,  and  slie  had  longed  for  Johnnie  to 
see  it. 

Kitty  remembered  how  she  had  run  indoors 
and  found  Johnnie  sitting  by  the  fire  in  his  low 
crimson  chair,  his  tiny  crutch  beside  him,  his 
paint-box  on  the  little  table  before  him.  He 
was  painting  a  yellow  sun,  with  rays  all  round 
it. 

It  was  Johnnie's  delight  to  paint.  He  would 
make  stories  a})()ut  his  pictures ;  he  told  those 
stories  to  Kitty  only.  They  were  secrets.  He 
kept  liis  pictures  in  an  old  tea-chest  whicli 
their  mother  liad  given  him,  and  it  had  a  lock 


CHRISTMAS  EVE.  5 

and  key.  Johnnie  kept  all  his  treasures  there 
— all  his  little  treasures,  all  his  little  secrets. 
They  were  so  pretty  and  so  pitiful !  They 
were  his  tiny  pleasures  in  life.  Johnnie  was 
painting  "  Good  Children  Land  "  and  "  Naughty 


Children  Land."  Good  Children  Land  he  paint- 
ed in  beautiful  yellow  gamboge ;  Naughty 
Children  Land  in  black  India  ink. 

Kitty  in  her  bed  to-night  seemed  to  see  the 
whole  scene,  and  to  hear  her  own  and  John- 
nie's voices  talking.     She  had  rushed  in,  and 


6  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

Johnnie  had  looked  up,  and  he  had  begun  to 
tell  her  the  story  of  his  picture. 

"  Look,  Kitty  !"  he  had  said ;  "  this  is  the 
portrait  of  the  naughtiest  child,  the  very,  very 
naughtiest  that  ever  was ;  and  he  has  come  into 
Good  Children  Land — by  mistake,  you  know. 
Look  !  he  has  furry  legs  like  a  goat,  and  horns 
and  a  tail,  just  because  he  is  so  naughty ;  but 
he  is  going  to  become  good.  I  will  paint  him 
getting  good  in  my  next  picture." 

Kitty  remembered  how  she  had  just  glanced 
at  the  picture ;  "  the  naughtiest  child  that 
ever  was  "  looked  rather  like  a  big  blot  with  a 
tail,  standing  in  front  of  the  yellow  sun.  But 
she  had  been  so  full  of  the  thought  of  the 
snow-man  that  she  had  begun  to  speak  about 
him  at  once. 

"  Oh,  Johnnie  !"  she  had  said,  skipping  about 
first  on  one  foot,  then  on  the  other.  "The 
gardener  and  I  have  made  such  a  snow-man. 
He's  as  big  as  the  gardener,  and  ever  so  much 
fatter ;  and  he's  got  hands,  but  no  legs,  only  a 
stump,  you  know ;  and  we've  put  a  pipe  into 
his  mouth." 


The  Snow  Man.— Page  6. 


CHRISTMAS  EVE.  7 

At X this  description  Johnnie's  eyes  had  spar- 
kled, and  he  had  cried,  "  Oh  !  I  wish  I  could 
see  him  !" 

Then  she  had  gone  on  to  say,  still  skipping 
about :  "  He  has  two  holes  for  his  eyes,  and 
they  seem  to  look  at  me;  and  his  face  is  as 
round  as  a  plate ;  he  just  looks  like  the  man  in 
the  moon  smoking  a  pipe." 

This  description  had  roused  Johnnie's  excite- 
ment, and  he  had  stretched  an  eager  little  hand 
toward  his  crutch. 

"  Please  take  me  to  see  him !  please  take  me 
to  see  him  !"  he  had  entreated. 

Kitty  remembered  that  she  had  hesitated. 
"  I  am  afraid  it  would  give  you  a  cold,"  she  had 
said,  looking  at  Johnnie  with  her  head  on  one 
side. 

"  I  shall  put  on  my  hat  and  comforter,"  John- 
nie had  replied,  grasping  his  crutch. 

Still,  she  remembered,  she  had  hesitated. 

Her  mother  had  said,  "  Johnnie  must  not  go 
out  in  the  snow."  But  then  Kitty  had  thought : 
"  The  sun  is  shining ;  and  it  will  be  for  a 
moment  only."     She  did  so  long  for  Johnnie  to 


8  DOWiV  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

see  the  snow-man,  and  he  wished  it  so  much. 
She  remembered  she  had  thought :  "  It  can  do 
him  no  harm  just  for  a  moment." 

She  had  helped  Johnnie  on  with  his  over- 
coat, and  wrapped  his  comforter  round  him, 
and  put  on  his  hat,  and  together  they  had  gone 
out.  There  was  no  one  in  the  hall,  or  on  the 
stairs  ;  they  had  gone  out  unol)served. 

Johnnie  had  not  a  notion  he  "was  disobeying 
his  mother.  His  tiny  crutch  danced  merrily 
along  with  a  muffled  thud  in  the  snow.  He 
swung  his  small  body  as  he  hopped  along ;  and 
he  laughed  as  he  looked  round  on  the  glisten- 
ing white  garden.  So  brisk  and  joyous  was 
his  laugh  that  Kitty  had  thought  it  was  like 
the  crow  of  a  little  cock.  Wlien  Johnnie  saw 
the  snow-man  he  shouted  a  feeble  hurrah  !  and 
he  laughed  more  and  more  merrily  as  Kitty 
danced  about  and  pelted  the  sno\v-man  ^\  itli 
snow-balls.  Kitty  remembered  how  she  had 
i^-one  on  dancin<ji;  awhile.  Then  all  at  once  she 
noticed  that  Johnnie  looked  pinched  and  blue. 
She  had  run  up  to  him,  just  in  time  to  catch 
him  as  he   was  falling ;  his  ai'ux  had  lost  its 


CHRISTMAS  EVE.  9 

powei'j'and  his  criitcti  had  dropped.  She  had 
held  him  tight ;  but  he  looked  so  pale  and  thin 
that  she  thought  he  was  going  to  die.  Her 
screams  had  brought  the  gardener  to  the  rescue, 
and  Johnnie  had  been  carried  indoors.  That 
night  Johnnie's  illness  had  begun,  and  ever 
since  the  doctor  had  come  twice  a  day. 

Kitty  had  never  been  al)le  to  tell  any  one  of 
the  load  that  had  been  weighing  on  her  heart 
during  those  nine  "  dreadful  days.  "  Once  she 
had  tried  to  say  it  to  her  mother ;  but  she  burst 
into  such  a  fit  of  sobbing  that  the  words  refused 
to  come.  No  one  had  reproached  her  for  hav- 
ing taken  Johnnie  out,  no  one  had  even  men- 
tioned it  to  her ;  but  she  knew  it  was  she  who 
had  brought  all  this  suffering  on  him.  She 
who  loved  him  so  much  !  she  who  loved  him  so 
much  ! 

As  she  was  thinking  of  all  this  a  voice 
sounded  by  her  bedside  ;  it  said  : 

''  Now,  missy  dear,  you  must  not  take  on  so. 
You  must  not  fret.  Look  ^vllat  old  cooksie- 
coaxy  has  brought  }'ou — a  mince-pie — a  big — 
beautiful  mince-pie — all  for  missy — alone." 


10  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

It  was  cook  who  had  stolen  softly  into  the 
room.  She  was  a  fat,  good-natured  soul,  and 
she  spoilt  Kitty  terribly.  All  during  that  sad 
week  cook  had  petted  her,  giving  her  cakes 
and  sweets.  She  had  kept  assuring  Kitty  she 
was  the  dearest,  best  little  girl  in  the  world — 
"  Cooksie-coaxy's  little  angel-darling,  and  that 
Johnnie  would  soon  get  quite  well." 

This  sympathy  had  sometimes  been  very 
agreeable  to  Kitty,  and  she  had  accepted  it  and 
the  sweet  things  it  brought  gratefully  ;  but  at 
other  times  she  had  repelled  it,  feeling  angry 
with  cook  for  saying  what  was  not  true  only 
to  please  her. 

Now  Kitty  buried  her  face  deeper  in  the 
pilloAV^,  stopped  her  ears,  and  waved  away  cook 
and  the  mince-pie  with  an  impatient  elbow. 

"  Go  away  !  go  away  !"  she  cried.  "  You 
spoil  me;  mamma  says  you  spoil  me.  I  would 
not  be  so  naughty  if  you  did  not  spoil  me." 

Cook  continued  to  liold  out  the  the  mince- 
pie,  but  Kitty  ^V()lll(l  not  look  round. 

''  Go  away  !  go  away  !"  she  repeated. 

Poor  cook  departed,   leaving  the  mince-pie 


CHRISTMAS  EVE,  H 

on  a  ohair  by  Kitty's  bed.  As  she  reached  the 
door  she  looked  round,  and  murmured  :  "  Poor 
little  dear,  she  doesn't  mean  to  be  unkind  to 
old  cooksie-coaxy." 

Toss  !  toss  !  went  Kitty  again  as  soon  as 
she  was  left  alone.  She  had  never  been  so 
wakeful. 

It  was  as  if  some  little  creature  was  sittinsr 
on  her  pillow  and  talking  to  her.  It  was  not 
a  real  voice  ;  it  was  her  memory  that  was  wide 
awake. 

"  You  have  teased  Johnnie,"  it  said.  "  He  is 
so  helpless.  And  how  often  when  he  has  asked 
for  his  treasures  you  have  brought  him  rulers, 
books,  all  sorts  of  things  he  did  not  want.  Did 
you  see  the  gush  of  tears  in  his  eyes  when  you 
continued  to  tease,  and  when  you  ceased,  the 
grateful,  forgiving  little  lips  put  up  to  kiss 
you?" 

As  Kitty  listened  she  tossed  about  even  more 
restlessly. 

Presently  the  voice  that  was  her  memory 
went  on  again :  ''  There  was  that  peach  last 
summer ;  your  mother  gave  it  you  to  share  with 


12  BO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

Johnnie.  You  gave  liim  the  smaller  half ;  you 
kept  the  bigger  one  for  yourself." 

Kitty  tried  not  to  hear,  but  the  voice  went 
on  speaking :  "  How  often  you  have  run  out 
to  amuse  yourself  and  left  him  pining  alone. 
Do  you  remember  that  day  when  the  Punch 
and  Judy  man  l)rought  his  show  into  the  gar- 
den, how  impatient  you  Avere  ?  Tap  !  tap  !  his 
eager  little  crutch  could  scarcely  follow  you. 
You  dropped  his  hand  suddenly  and  he  fell  to 
the  ground.  What  a  piteous,  helpless  little 
heap  he  looked.  He  could  not  raise  himself ; 
but  when  you  lifted  him  he  stroked  your 
cheek  and  said  :  '  Never  mind,  Kitsie,'  and  he 
never  told.  Do  you  remember  hoAV  pale  he 
looked  all  day,  as  if  he  were  in  pain  V 

Kitty  could  not  bear  listening  to  that  voice 
any  longer,  so  she  sat  up  in  bed.  And  there, 
on  the  wall  opposite,  there  seemed  written  in 
the  moonlifdit  Avliat  the  doctor  had  said  :  ''  If 
he  pulls  through  to-night." 

Did  it  mean  tliat  Johnnie  might  die  to-night  ? 

She  must  see  Jolmnie — she  must.  She  would 
be   so  gentle,  so  good.     If  he  would  only  get 


CHRISTMAS  EVE.  13 

well  again  slie  would  never  tease  him  again — 
she  would  never  be  impatient — she  would  al- 
ways be  good  to  him.  She  would  put  aside 
all  her  money  and  buy  toys  for  him  to  put  into 
his  treasure-box. 

If  they  would  only  let  her  in  she  would 
creep  into  his  room,  sit  by  his  bedside,  and 
hold  his  hand.  She  Avould  tell  him  the  story 
of  the  "  Blue  Rose,"  which  she  had  invented 
out  of  her  own  head  and  which  he  liked  so 
much. 

Kitty  now  went  over  the  story  to  herself. 

"  There  was  a  garden  to  which  a  fairy  with 
blue  wings  and  a  blue  hat  had  told  her  the 
way.  It  was  very  difficult  to  find,  and  it  was 
a  secret.  But  there  was  a  rose  in  that  garden, 
just  like  any  other  rose,  only  it  was  much 
bigger,  and  it  had  more  leaves  and  a  sweeter 
smell,  and  it  was  blue,  and  the  fairy  said  if 
Johnnie  smelt  it  he  would  get  quite  well. 
Then  she  and  Johnnie  [in  the  story]  Avent  oif 
together,  and  they  had  a  great  many  adven- 
tures. They  had  met  robbers  and  giants,  and 
they  lost  their  way  in  a  wood,  and  all  sorts  of 


14  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

terrible  things  had  happened.  But  she  had 
taken  such  care  of  Johnnie.  She  had  protect- 
ed him  from  the  robbers,  she  had  deluded  the 
giants  and  sent  them  to  sleep,  and  at  last  she 
and  Johnnie  had  come  to  the  garden.  Such  a 
garden — full  of  lovely  flowers  !  and  right  in 
the  middle  of  the  garden  there  was  a  blue  rose, 
exactly  the  color  of  the  fairy's  wings  and  hat. 
It  was  set  round  with  thorns,  but  Kitty  did 
not  care  one  bit.  She  pushed  her  arm  right 
through  the  thorns.  It  would  get  all  scratched, 
but  she  did  not  mind.  She  would  pluck  the 
blue  rose  and  give  it  to  Johnnie.  He  would 
smell  it,  and  at  the  first  whift'  his  leg;  would 
grow  straight ;  he  would  smell  it  again  and  his 
leg  would  grow  strong ;  he  would  smell  it  a 
third  time  and  he  would  throw  down  his 
crutch,  he  would  begin  to  jump  about  and 
dance.  They  would  i)lay  games  of  hide-and- 
seek  and  run  races,  and  Johnnie  would  run 
faster  than  she  could.  They  would  come  home 
together,  and  everybody  would  wonder;  but 
they  would  not  say  a  word  about  the  '  blue 
rose.'     It  was  a  secret." 


CBRTSTMAS  EVE.  15 

This  story  had  been  quite  a  little  story  when 
Kitty  had  first  made  it  out  of  her  own  head  ; 
but  Johnnie  had  added  bits  to  it.  He  had 
put  in  about  the  giants,  and  about  a  tiger 
with  glaring  green  eyes  going  to  spring  upon 
him  just  as  they  found  the  gate  of  the  garden. 

The  more  she  thought  of  all  these  things  the 
more  Kitty  felt  she  must  see  Johnnie. 

Out  went  one  bare  foot  from  under  the  cover- 
lid, and  still  there  in  the  moonlight  it  seemed 
to  be  written  :  "  To-morrow  is  Christmas  Day 
and  there  may  be  no  Johnnie." 

This  might  be  Johnnie's  last  night.  Kitty 
felt  she  would  cry  out  if  she  did  not  see  him, 
and  out  of  bed  went  the  other  bare  foot. 

The  clock  struck  the  half -hour ;  it  was  half- 
past  nine.  IIow  silent  the  house  was  !  Her 
mother  was  l}'ing  down.  Nurse  was  with 
Johnnie.  If  only  she  would  come  out  of  his 
room  !  She  wished  with  all  the  might  of  her 
little  heart  nurse  would  come  out.  But  noth- 
ing stirred  through  the  house.  Yes,  after 
awhile  she  heard  a  slight  noise,  a  door  was 
creaking  below.     It  was  Johnnie's  door.     She 


16 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


heard  a  step.  Out  of  bed  dashed  Kitty.  She 
ran  into  the  lobby ;  she  looked  over  the 
balusters. 


Yes,  it  was  nurse  going  downstairs  to  the 
kitchen.  She  saw  her  white  cap  and  apron  dis- 
tinctly. Kitty's  heart  seemed  to  stop  beating. 
The  kitchen  door  chased  after  nurse.     Hush  ! 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  17 


CHAPTER  II. 


KITTY    AND    JOHNNIE. 


Hush  !  The  night-gowned,  barefooted  small 
figure  crept  down  the  wide  staircase.  Outside, 
the  garden  covered  with  snow  glittered  under 
the  light  of  the  big,  beautiful  full  moon ;  it 
was  so  bright  that  it  put  out  all  the  stars  ex- 
cept those  in  far-away  corners.  There  was  a 
colored  window  on  that  staircase.  As  Kitty 
crept  past  it  a  bar  of  pink  light,  a  sqnare  of 
lovely  blue,  a  patch  of  orange  shaped  like  a 
dragon  fell  npon  her  white  night-gown.  The 
trees  outside  were  still,  as  if  they  were  fast 
asleep  under  their  eider-down  covering  of 
snow. 

Hush  !  There  was  not  a  sound  or  a  stir 
through  the  house,  except  the  flap,  flap  of  Kitty's 
bare  feet  on  the  stairs.  Suddenl}'  a  mouse  ran 
across ;  Kitty  saw  its  long  tail  (piite  distinctly. 


18  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS, 

She  was  very  much  afraid  of  mice ;  the  sight 
of  one  would  give  her  a  creepy  feeling.  But 
to-night  she  did  not  care  for  this  mouse,  nor  for 
an  army  of  mice.  She  was  going  to.  see  John- 
nie. She  had  no  fear,  except  that  of  not  being 
able  to  reach  him. 

Hush  !  Suddenly  a  stair  creaked,  and  the 
creak  sounded  like  a  scream  through  the 
silence.  Kitty  huddled  herself  up,  her  shoul- 
ders to  her  ears,  her  elbows  and  hands  pressed 
close  against  her  sides  and  chest.  She  stood  a 
moment  or  t\vo  staring,  and  thump,  thump 
went  her  heart;  l)ut  everything  remained  si- 
lent as  before,  and  the  bare  toes  resumed  their 
march — cautiousl}- — down — down.  Now  she 
sees  Johnnie's  door.  It  is  not  (piite  shut. 
Something  is  standing  ))efore  it.  AVhat  is  it  ? 
Something  white  and  small.  Is  it  Johnnie's 
spirit  ? 

Flutter — flutter — thump — thumj^  went  her 
heart.  She  stood  trembling  with  terror;  but 
alive  or  dead  she  must  see  Johnnie.  Her  love 
is  o^reater  than  her  fear.  Down — down  she 
goes,    keeping   her   eyes   fixed    on  that  white 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  19 

thing^before  the  door.  Then  she  almost  laughs 
out,  for  she  sees  it  is  no  spirit,  but  a  white 
apron  hanging  just  inside  the  door. 

Hush  !  Just  as  Kitty  reaches  the  last  step 
a  door  opens  below.  It  is  the  kitchen  door. 
She  hears  the  servant  talking.  Nurse's  voice 
reaches  her  quite  plainly.  Is  she  coming  up  ? 
Beat — beat — beat  goes  Kitty's  heart,  and  she 
peers  over  the  balusters. 

The  next  moment  the  door  is  shut  again,  and 
onctj  more  there  is  not  a  stir  or  a  sound  through 
the  house. 

Mush  !  Cautiously — cautiously  Kitty  pushes 
Johnnie's  door  wide  enough  open  to  let  her 
pass  in. 

She  stands  now  in  the  dear  familiar  room. 
A  fire  burning  in  the  grate  fills  every  corner 
with  a  ruddy  glow.  She  sees  the  pictures  on 
the  walls,  on  the  table  the  medicine  bottles  and 
a  spoon,  in  its  accustomed  place  the  low  red- 
cushioned  chair  and  tiny  crutch  beside  it.  A 
little  bed  with  white  curtains  stands  in  a  corner. 

Softly — softly  Kitty  makes  her  way  toward 
the  bed,  and  pauses  when  she  approaches  it. 


20  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIES. 

Johnnie's  face  is  on  the  pillow,  white  as  the 
snow  in  the  garden ;  all  around  it  a  cloud  of 
golden  hair.  His  eyes  are  closed,  and  the  long 
lashes  look  very  dark  against  the  pale  cheeks. 

Kitty  remained  quite  quiet  a  moment  looking 
at  him ;  then  she  came  closer  within  the  cur- 
tains and  laid  her  hand — a  very  warm  brown 
plump  one — on  the  wee  white  hand  lying  out- 
side the  red  coverlid. 

"  Johnnie !"  she  whispered,  and  the  name 
came  as  if  the  little  heart  would  burst  if  it  was 
not  spoken. 

Johnnie  opened  his  eyes,  looked  blankly  and 
queerly  at  her,  then  at  once  closed  them  again. 

"  Johnnie,  speak  to  me  !"  urged  Kitty  with  a 
sob. 

Thus  appealed  to,  Johnnie  once  more  oj^ened 
his  eyes  wider  and  wider,  till  the  w  hite  wasted 
face  seemed  to  become  all  blue  eyes.  Still  he 
gazed  blankly  at  his  visitor  in  the  night-gown  ; 
gradually  his  look  brightened,  he  began  to 
smile,  the  smile  broadened  into  a  laugh. 

"  Kitty  !"  he  exclaimed  in  a  glad  feeble  whis- 
per. 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  21 

"  I  ought  not  to  have  waked  you,"  said  Kitty, 
in  a  (i[uivering  voice ;  "  but  they  have  not  let 
me  near  you  for  nine  days.  I  have  counted 
them — nine  [a  great  sob].  I  have  sat  outside 
}our  door — but  they  would  not  let  me  in  [sob, 
sob,  sob]." 

"  Poor  old  Kitsy  !"  whispered  Johnnie ;  and 
up  went  the  tiny  hot  hand  in  an  effort  to  stroke 
Kitty's  cheek. 

"  They  \y\\\  send  me  away  now  if  they  find 
me,"  continued  Kitty,  shaking  with  a  burst  of 
tears.  "  Mother  is  lying  down.  I  heard  nurse 
go  downstairs— and  so — and  so — "  Here  the 
heaving  of  the  little  bosom,  and  the  quick  mo- 
tion of  the  chin  up  and  down,  checked  further 
speech. 

Johnnie  panted  a  moment  on  his  pillow  before 
he  said : 

"  I  have  sometimes  fancied  you  were  in  the 
room,  Kitsy.  I  saw"  you  (piite  plain — your 
freckles  and  your  dear  little  cocked  nose." 

At  this  description  of  herself  Kitty  knelt  in 
a  delighted  heap  by  Johnnie's  bed,  and  rubbed 
her  face  round  and  round  on  his  red  flannel 
sleeve,  very  much  like  an  affectionate  pussy. 


22 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


"  I  have  cried  so  much  since  you  were  ill," 
she  went  on  after  awhile.  "  One  day  I  wetted 
seven  pocket  handkerchiefs  with  my  tears.  I 
hung  them  up  to  dry.     I  counted  them — there 


w^ere  seven. 


Johnnie's  eyes  glistened  with  sympathy,  and 
he  repeated  in  his  feehle  voice : 

"  Poor  old  Kitsy  !" 

"  It  was  the  day,"  went  on  Kitty,  wishing  to 
l)e  exact,  "  that  mother  said  I  was  to  say  in  my 
prayers,  '  Pray  God,  leave  us  little  Johnnie  ;  but 
thy  will  l)e  done.'  I  pra3ed  all  day,  I  kept 
going  do^vn   on  my  knees,  and   every  time   I 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE  23 

waked  up  i  n  the  niglit  I  said  '  Leave  us  little 
Johnnie.'  I  did  not  say  '  Tliy  will  be  done.'  I 
said  *■  Leave  us  little  Johnnie,  leave  us  little 
Johnnie.' " 

There  was  a  silence  ;  then  Johnnie  said  in  an 
odd  sort  of  a  way  : 

"  I  know  what  day  that  was.  It  was  the  day 
I  saw  my  guardian  child." 

"  Your  guardian  child  !"  repeated  Kitty  curi- 
ously. 

Johnnie  nodded. 

"  What  w^as  he  like  ?"  asked  Kitty,  pressing 
nearer  up  against  the  bed. 

"  He  was  just  like  me,"  answered  Johnnie, 
looking  straight  before  him,  as  if  he  were  seeing 
there  what  he  described ;  "  only  his  t^vo  legs 
were  both  the  same  size — so  he  had  no  crutch, 
and  he  had  a  rosy  face." 

"  How  was  he  dressed  ?"  asked  Kitty,  grow- 
ing more  curious. 

"  He  had  a  rainbow  sort  of  a  coat  on,"  re})lied 
Johnnie,  "  and  he  had  two  little  pink  Avdngs.  I 
thought  he  had  come,  perhaps,  l)ecause  I  was 
going  to  die — and  he  wanted  to  slio^v  nie  that 


24  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

in  heaven  I  was  to  have  two  legs  the  same  size, 
and  no  crutch." 

"  Oh — o-oh  !"  cried  Kitty,  her  tears  gushing 
out  anew. 

"  Don't  cry,  Kitsy,"  the  little  panting  voice 
resumed.  "  When  I  die  I  Avant  you  to  have 
my  cake  of  gamboge,  my  rose-pink,  ni}-  India- 
ink,  and  my  two  sable  brushes." 

"  But  you  are  not  going  to  die,"  cried  Kitty, 
giving  the  bed  a  shake  as  she  plumped  against 
it.  "  To-morrow  is  Christmas  Day,  and  }'ou  are 
to  be  much  better  to-morrow.  Oh,  Johnnie  !" 
she  added,  wiping  away  her  tears,  "  I  have 
such  a  present  for  you :  something  you  wanted 
ever,  ever  so  much  !" 

"  Is  it  another  go-cart  to  take  fancy  drives 
in  ?"  asked  Johnnie  eagerly. 

"  A  go-cart !  No  !"  answered  Kitty  scorn- 
fully. 

"  Is  it  a  musical  box  with  more  than  one 
tune  r  asked  Johnnie,  a  patch  of  red  forming 
on  one  cheek. 

"  It  is  something  ever  so  much  more  splen- 
did," cried  Kitty ;  "  but  you  are  not  to  know 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  25 

till  tomorrow.  It  is  a  secret.  I'll  only  just 
tell  you  " — and  slie  nodded  several  times  im- 
pressively— "  that  it  sings  and  is  alive." 

"  Sings  and  is  alive  !  Is  it " — and  now  a  red 
patch  came  on  both  Johnnie's  cheeks — "  is  it 
— no,  it  can't  be — is  it — a  bu — ull — finch  ?" 

"  Ye — es,"  cried  Kitty ,j  umping  up  and  be- 
ginning to  skip  about,  first  on  one  bare  foot 
and  then  on  the  other.  "  But  you  are  to  forget 
till  to-morrow,"  she  went  on,  stopping  her 
dance.  "  You  must  forget  it,  for  it  is  a  secret 
till  Christmas  Day." 

"  Has  it  a  tune  V  whispered  Johnnie,  taking 
no  notice  of  this  order  to  forget. 

"A  lovely  tune,"  answered  Kitty,  her  eyes 
sparkling.  "'Home,  sweet  home.'  He  sings 
it  with  his  tail  up  and  his  head  on  one  side." 

As  Jolinnie  laughed  with  joy,  Kitty  gave  a 
sob  of  delight. 

"  I  ran  off  to  the  shop  by  myself,  the  bird- 
fancier's,  you  know  ;  ever  so  far.  Nurse  scold- 
ed me  dreadfully  when  I  came  back ;  she  was 
so  friofhtened,  not  findin«:  me  anvwhere  at 
home." 


26  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

''  Oh,  I  did  so  long  for  a  bullfincli,  dear,  good 
old  Kitsy  !"  murmured  Johnnie,  looking  very 
Avide  awake. 

"  I  am  not  good.  I  am  very  naughty,"  said 
Kitty  slowly.  "  Oh,  Johnnie,  I  am  miserable 
when  I  have  been  naughty  to  you  !  It  gives 
me  a  pain  here,"  and  she  thumped  her  chest. 

"  You  are  never  naughty.  You  are  a  good, 
GOOD,  GOOD  Kitsy,"  panted  Johnnie  with 
emphasis. 

"  I  am  not  good  to  you.  I  tease  you  so  often, 
and  I  am  greedy.  I  take  the  largest  half  of 
things — when  you — you — ought  to  have  them 
all,"  cried  Kitty,  too  shaken  by  repentant  sobs 
to  particularize  the  peach.  "  I  let  you  fall  one 
day  last  summer." 

"  Good  Kitsy,  good  old  Kitsy  all  the  same," 
insisted  Johnnie,  thumping  the  coverlid  with 
his  tiny  fist. 

Still  Kitty's  sobs  did  not  subside :  they 
grew  bitterei'  and  bitterer.  Then  came  the 
confession  : 

"I  made  you  ill,  Johnnie.  I  took  you — out 
— in  the  snow." 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  37 

"  I  made  you  take  me,"  said  Johnnie  sturdily. 

"  Mother  had  said  I  was  not  to  take  you  out 
in  the  sn — now,"  went  on  Kitty,  shaking  with 
sobs.  "  You  did  not  know  she  had  said  so. 
Oh,  Johnnie,  forgive  me !  Say  you  forgive 
me  !" 

"  I  made  you  take  me  out,"  repeated  Johnnie. 
Then,  as  Kitty's  sobs  continued,  he  put  his  wee 
hand  on  her  head,  and  said  in  a  voice  weak  as 
the  pipe  of  a  wounded  bird,  "  Don't  cry,  Kitsy. 
I  forgive  you  !" 

There  was  a  silence.  Then  Kitty  dried  her 
tears. 

"  I  wonder  what  makes  me  so  naughty  !"  she 
said. 

"  It  is  not  naughtiness ;  it  is  having  two 
legs  the  same  size,"  answered  Johnnie  comfort- 
ingly. 

"  But  if  you  had  two  legs  the  same  size,  do 
you  think  you  would  be  naughty,  Johnnie  ?" 

Johnnie  thought  awhile ;  his  eyes  glistened, 
and  he  shook  his  downy  head. 

"  I  would  run  all  day  long  and  nobody  could 
stop  me,"  he  said. 


28  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

"Do  you  think  you  would  run  about  and 
forget  tilings,  and  often  jump  about  at  lesson 
time  ?"  questioned  Kitty. 


"  I  tliiuk  I  should,"  said  Johnnie  regret- 
fully. 

"  Do  you  think  you  would  slide  down  the 
balusters^"  still  ci'oss-cjuestioned  Kitty. 

"I  might,"  answered  Johnnie  very  humbly. 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  29 

"  Jotmnie,  I  wish  I  could  give  you  my  two 
legs,  I  wish  I  could.  I  would  not  give  one 
just  only  to  be  good  ;  Init  I  would  give  you  the 
two,  I  lo-o-ove  you  so  much,  Johnnie  !"  and 
Kitty  shook  the  bed  with  her  sobs  as  she  took 
his  hand  in  hers, 

Johnnie  looked  wistfully  before  him  :  his  face 
was  crimson  ;  his  eyes  shone  like  two  tiny  lamps ; 
the  little  hand  in  Kitty's  seemed  to  burn.  Then 
he  said  cheerily : 

"  It  would  not  do  for  every  one  to  have  two 
legs.  There  would  not  be  any  one  to  sit  down, 
and  look  on,  and  clap  hands,  and  say  hurrah  ! 
when  the  others  were  running  matches,  you 
know," 

"As  you  did  when  Cousin  Charlie  and  I 
played  in  the  hay  that  day  last  summer,"  cried 
Kitty.    ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Johnnie,  and  he  began  to  mutter 
something  Kitty  did  not  understand. 

"  Well  play  again  next  summer,  and  you'll 
look  (m,"  said  Kitty. 

'*  Yes.  How  sweet  the  hay  smells !"  said 
Johnnie  in  a  strange  far■a^vay  voice. 


30  l>0W2f^  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

"  Miss  Kitty  !"  said  some  one  behind. 

Turning  round  Kitty  saw  nurse  standing 
with  her  two  hands  raised  and  lier  eyes 
round  with  alarm  and  trouble.  "  Oh,  Miss 
Kitty,  what  have  you  done  ?  what  have  you 
done  V 

"  I  am  not  going  !"  cried  Kitty,  stamping  one 
bare  foot.  I  ^von't  go.  Every  one  comes  to 
Johnnie  but  me." 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  asked  another  anxious 
voice.  It  was  the  children's  mother.  "  Kitty 
here  !"  she  added,  very  much  amazed. 

"  Yes,  ma'am.  Johnnie  was  sleeping  like  a 
lamb,  he  was.  I  slipped  down  just  for  a  bit  of 
supper.  When  I  came  up,  there's  Miss  Kitty, 
and  there's  Johnnie,  all  awake  and  in  a  fever." 

"  Oh,  Kitty  !  what  have  you  done  i  what  have 
you  done  ?"  said  the  poor  mother  as  she  knelt 
down  by  the  l)edside  and  with  straining  eyes 
li'azed  at  the  little  boy  mutterinui-and  talkiuii;  to 
himself. 

A  fear  came  over  Kitty  at  her  mother's  words 
and  at  the  look  in  her  eyes.  She  began  to  cry, 
])ut  nurse  in  a  moment  had   taken  iier  in  her 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  31 

arms,'  carried  her  upstairs,  and  put  her  into  bed. 
She  did  not  say  a  word,  but  she  looked  very 
grim. 

''  Oh,  nurse,  have  I  done  Johnnie  any  harm  ?" 
cried  Kitty,  springing  out  of  bed  and  clutching 
at  nurse's  skirt  as  she  was  leaving  the  room. 

"  Harm  !"  rej^eated  nurse,  twitching  her  dress 
out  of  Kitty's  grasp.  ^'  The  doctor  said  John- 
nie might  get  well  if  he  slept  to-night  and  was 
kept  quiet,  and  you  went  and  waked  him.  It 
is  the  second  time  you — " 

Nurse  paused.  Then  she  jerked  out,  ''  That 
is  the  harm  you  have  done,"  and  left  the 
room. 

At  those  dreadful  words  Kitty  felt  cold  :  she 
stole  back  to  bed,  and  turned  her  face  to  the 
wall.  "  Might  Johnnie  have  got  well  if  she 
had  not  waked  him  ?  Would  he  die  now  ?" 
She  did  not  sob,  but  she  kept  moaning  to  her- 
self in  the  dark;  and  her  heart  sent  u})  a  prayer 
like  a  cry  :  "  Pray  God,  do  not  let  Johnnie  die  ! 
Do  not  let  Johnnie  die  !" 

"  Hush,  Kitty !"  said  her  mother's  gentle 
voice.     "  Johnnie  seems  to  be  going  to  sleep ; 


32  J^O  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

he  is  quieter  now.  Perlia23S  he  Avill  be  better 
to-morrow." 

"  Oh,  mamma  !  mamma  !"  cried  Kitty,  throw- 
ing herself  into  her  mother's  arms.  "  I  had  so 
longed  to  see  him  !  I  had  so  longed  to  see 
him !" 

Her  mother  made  Kitty  lie  doAvn :  she  sat 
down  by  her  bedside,  and  taking  her  t\\o  hands 
she  spoke  soothingly  to  her  little  girl.  When 
Kitty's  sobs  were  qnietershe  told  her  how  easy 
it  is  to  get  naughtier  and  naughtier  unless  we 
resist  temptation.  In  every  little  heart  are  the 
seeds  of  naughtiness  that  will  grow  and  grow. 

"  But  I  was  not  so  very  naughty,"  said  Kitty 
with  a  l)ig  sob. 

"  You  were  naughty.  I  should  not  love  you 
if  I  did  not  say  you  were  naughty,"  the  sweet 
voice  continued,  talking  in  Kitty's  ear.  She 
sometimes  lost  what  it  said,  l)ut  she  heard  the 
sound  like  a  lullaby. 

"  Punishment  always  follows  naughtiness. 
It  comes  like  the  shadow  that  follows  you  in  the 
sunshine.  It  may  not  be  in  pain  to  your  body 
that  it  will   come.     It  may   come  in  grief  for 


KITTY  AND  JOHNNIE.  33 

seeing  another  suffer  f(^r  your  fault ;  but  pun- 
ishment must  follow  wrong-doing." 
Then  again  the  tender  voice  spoke : 
'^  Your  little  heart  tempted  you  to  wake 
Johnnie.  You  ought  to  have  resisted,  to  have 
said  '  No ;  what  Avill  comfort  me  may  make 
Johnnie  suffer.'  "  Then  again  the  voice  said  : 
"  We  must  resist  temptation  ...  to  win  a 
blessing." 


34  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


CHAPTEE  m. 

DOWN    THE    SNOW    STAIRS. 

"  Get  up  !  get  up  !  get  up  !"  said  another 
voice. 

Kitty  was  wide  awake  and  sitting  up  in  a 
moment.  Some  one  was  standing  by  her  Vjed- 
side.  Was  it  nurse?  Her  white  cap  and 
apron  glimmered  through  the  dusk. 

"  How  is  Johnnie  ?"  cried  Kitty,  starting  u}). 

It  was  not  nurse ;  it  was  the  snow-man  star- 
ing at  her  with  his  l)hink  eyes,  and  waving  a 
great  fingerless  white  hand  to  her  in  the  moon- 
light. 

Kitty  did  not  feel  frightened ;  she  sat  up 
and  looked  at  him.  He  lield  his  pipe  in  one 
hand  ;  ^vith  the  other  he  beckoned  to  her.  She 
could  see  the  forndess  hand  quite  distinctly 
waving  ])ack^vard  and  for^vard. 

"  Get  \\\) !  get  up  !  get  up  !"  he  repeated  in  a 
hoarse,  muffled  voice. 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


35 


"  Go  away,  naughty  snow-man,"  said  Kitty  ; 
"  it  is  your  fault  that  Johnnie  is  ill." 


"  Don't  you  want 
to  find  the  blue 
rose  ?"  s  a  i  d  t  h  e 
snow-man,  with 
little  pants  be- 
t^veen  his  words ; 
he  see  m  e  d  ver}^ 
_  s  h  o  r  t   o  f   breath. 

His    voice    began 

with  a  rumble  and  a  grumble,  and  ended  in  a 

squeak. 


36  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

"  The  blue  rose  that  will  cure  Johnnie  !  Oh  ! 
but  where  can  I  find  it  ?"  eagerly  cried  Kitty, 
standing  up  in  bed,  and  pressing  up  both 
hands  under  her  chin. 

"  Come  aw  ay  !  come  away  !  come  away  !"  said 
the  snow-man,  moving  oft'. 

He  had  an  extraordinary  way  of  walking — a 
shufiling,  shandjling,  sliding  way,  and  as  he 
moved  he  still  waved  that  ^vliite  formless 
hand,  and  gazed  at  Kitty  with  his  blank  eye- 
less sockets. 

"I  dare  not  go  downstairs  again,"  said  Kitty. 

But  the  snow-man  was  gliding,  shambling, 
shuffling  toward  the  window.  lie  opened  it, 
passed  out,  put  his  head  back  into  the  room, 
and  continued  to  l)eckon  to  her. 

Kitty  jumped  down  to  see  what  it  meant. 
"I  must  put  something  on,  or  I  shall  catch 
cold,"  she  remarked,  glancing  down  at  her 
night-gown  ;  but  as  her  feet  touched  the  ground 
she  perceived  that  she  was  ready  dressed. 

"  IIow  Mon — "  she  began;  then  she  paused, 
with  her  mouth  ()})en,  looking  at  something  much 
more  extraordinary.     Just  outside  her  window 


DOWW  THE  SNOW  STATUS.  37 

spread,  a  spacious  fliglit  of  steps.  Lovely  stairs, 
wliite  as  pearl !  On  one  side  they  towered  up- 
ward, gleaming  brighter  and  brighter  till  they 
touched  the  moon ;  on  the  other,  they  reached 
downward,  till  it  made  her  dizzy  to  look.  Far 
do^vu  as  she  could  see  the  great  white  stairs 
reached. 

As  Kitty  stood  on  the  ledge  of  her  window, 
voices  sounded  around  her ;  she  thought  she 
heard  her  mother's  voice,  her  father's  voice, 
nurse's  voice,  calling :  "  Cure  Johnnie !  cure 
Johnnie  !" 

A  bell  pealed  from  the  church  steeple;  it 
seemed  to  call  out :  "  Cure  Johnnie  !" 

Then  other  voices  came  again,  floating  along 
down  or  up  the  white  stairs,  she  could  not  tell 
which,  whispering : 

"  Find  the  blue  rose  !     Find  the  blue  rose  !" 

Was  she  to  go  up,  or  was  she  to  go  down 
those  white  stairs  ? 

The  snow-man  began  to  go  down ;  Kitty  fol- 
lowed him. 

"  Hurr}'  !  hurry  I"  he  panted  impatiently.  "  I 
am  beginning  to  melt.  There  is  a  great  drop 
on  my  nose." 


38  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

He  descended  with  a  certain  stateliness  of 
gait — gliding ;  tlien  letting  himself  drop  noise- 
lessly over  each  step.  Kitty  perceived  that 
this  way  of  getting  along  was  due  to  his  having 
no  feet — that  his  figure  ended  in  a  stump. 

Down,  down  they  went,  the  snow-man  going 
before,  Kitty  following. 

How  still  it  was  !  Their  footsteps  made  no 
noise.  Not  a  breath  stirred.  Nothing  was  to 
be  seen  but  those  white  stairs  glimmering. 
Down — down. 

Every  now  and  then  the  sno^v-man  panted. 

"  Hurry  !  hurry  !  I  am  melting !"  and  a  mor- 
sel of  him  would  disappear. 

His  nose  went ;  his  pipe  went ;  one  after 
another  his  features  went,  till  the  face  he  oc- 
casionally turned  towai'd  Kitty  was  a  flat 
white  face  like  a  plate.  One  arm  went. 
Still  gliding,  dropping  noiselessly  over  each 
step,  down  went  the  snow-man,  and  Kitty 
followed. 

As  she  followed  she  began  to  feel  very  vague. 
The  lower  she  descended  the  less  she  could 
remember  Avhat   she  \vas  going  for.     She  was 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STATUS. 


39 


looking  for  sometliing — something  for  Johnnie. 

But  what  was  it  ?    •'  What  am  I  looking  for  ?"  she 

asked    herself, 

shaking  her 

head  to  shake  off 

that  dreaminess. 

"  Is  it  that  cake 

of  gamboge?" 

No,  it  was  not 

t  h  a  t.     It  was 

something     else. 

Something   she 

must   find   for 

Johnnie. 

After  awhile 
she  thought  she 
was  going  down 
for  something 
she  wanted  for 
herself — s  o  m  e  - 
thing  she  must 
find. 

"Oh,  what  is 
it  I  am  looking 
for  ?"  puzzled  Kitty.    ''  Is  it  that  mince-pie  r 


40 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


She  shook  her  head.  "  Ko,  I  don't  want  that. 
It  is  something  else." 

"  Is  it  the  naughtiest  child  ?"  Kitty  went  on 
dreamily. 

"No,  it  cannot  be  that.  I  do  not  want  to 
see  the  naughtiest  child." 

Down,  down  they  went,  the  snow-man  melt- 
ing till  he  had  dwindled  to  a  stump.  Still 
gliding,  dropping  noiselessly  over   each  step, 

went  this  stump    be- 
fore Kitty. 

"Is  it  the  moon  I 
want  ?"  she  asked 
herself.  As  she  said 
this  drowsily  the  last 
bit  of  the  snow-man 
melted  a^vay,  and  she 
found  herself  alone 
at  the  l)()ttom  of  the 
stairs. 

The  snow  had  dis- 
appeared.    She    was 
standing  in  a  meadow  full  of  cowslips.     At  a 
little  distance  stood  a  wicket-gate,  and  beyond 


DOWN  TEE  SNOW  STAIBS.  41 

the  gate  there  was  a  wood ;  one  of  the  trees 
overshadowed  the  gate. 

It  was  broad  daylight.  The  summer  had 
come ;  the  trees  were  in  full  leaf.  Kitty  rubbed 
her  eyes ;  but  she  did  not  feel  surprised. 

In  front  of  the  gate  stood  the  drollest  creature 
Kitty  had  ever  seen,  dancing  to  its  own  shadow. 
Down  to  the  waist  it  looked  like  a  pretty  boy ; 
but  it  had  hairy  goat  legs,  a  curling  tail,  and 
tiny  horns.  A  pair  of  pointed  ears  showed 
through  its  curly  black  hair.  Its  skin  was  a 
golden  brown.  On  seeing  Kitty  the  queer 
little  creature  stopped  just  as  it  was  setting  off 
to  run  a  race  with  itself.  It  had  the  wildest, 
brightest,  blackest  eyes. 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  he  asked,  fixing  them  upon 
her. 

"  I !"  answered  Kitty.  "  I — why,  of  course — 
I  am — I  am — "  Then  she  stopped ;  she  could 
not  remember  who  she  was.  "  Where  is  mam- 
ma ?"  she  cried,  frightened  at  forgetting. 

"  Mamma — you've  no  mamma — what  was  she 
like  ?"  demanded  the  goat-legged  creature, 
throwing  back  its  goat-eared  head  and  laugh- 
ing. 


42  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS, 

"  Mamma — she  was — she  was — talking  to  me 
— just  now — why — I  can't — I  can't  remember 
what — she  was  saying;"  and  Kitty  looked 
blankly  at  the  frisking  being.  It  laughed 
louder  and  louder.  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  ho  !  ho  ! 
ho  !  It  sniffed  the  air  with  delight ;  it  tumbled 
and  gamboled  about,  clattering  its  cloven  feet. 

"  There  was  Johnnie  I  know  there  was 
Johnnie,"  said  Kitty  slowly. 

"  Johnnie  !  I  am  Johnnie  !"  cried  the  brown 
creature.  It  ran  up  the  tree  that  overshadowed 
the  gate,  and  peered  through  the  branches  at 
Kitty. 

"No,  you  are  not  Johnnie,"  she  answered, 
shaking  her  head.     She  w^as  quite  sure  of  that. 

Down  it  jumped  and  began  marching  back- 
ward and  forward  with  high  steps,  keeping 
time  as  to  the  sound  of  music.  Its  pretty 
boy-head  Avas  thrown  back — mischief  and  S2)or- 
tiveness  peeped  out  of  its  bright  eyes. 

Kitty  thought  she  had  never  seen  anything 
so  pretty,  playful,  and  delightful  as  this  elfish 
being  with  its  pointed  ears,  its  tiny  horns,  and 
bit  of  a  tail.     "  Who  are  you  ?"  she  asked. 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIBS.  43 

"  1 1^"  The  creature  paused  in  its  marcliing, 
laughed  and  sniffed  tlie  air,  frisking  to  a  measure 
of  its  o^\Ti,  first  on  one  horny  foot,  then  on  the 
other,  chanting  as  it  frisked : 

"  I  am  what  makes  the  kids  jump,  the  kittens 
tumble,  and  the  children  dance." 

"  Are  you  then  a  sprite  ?"  asked  Kitty. 

The  elfish  being  laughed  louder,  shomng  all 
its  white  teeth.  Kitty  thought  it  now  looked 
more  like  an  imp,  as  he  went  on  skipping  and 
chanting. 

"  I  make  the  magpies  steal ;  I  make  the  goats 
butt ;  I  make  the  children  disobey." 

Saying  this  it  ran  up  the  tree  again,  caught 
at  one  of  the  branches,  and  swung  itself  back- 
ward and  forward. 

Kitty  felt  a  little  afraid  on  hearing  that  last 
speech ;  but  she  began  to  laugh  again  as  she 
watched  the  creature  darting  gay  as  the  birds 
or  the  pretty  wildlings  of  the  wood. 

The  next  moment  it  scampered  down. 
"  Catch  !"  it  cried,  tapping  her  on  the  shoulder, 
and  starting  off  at  a  run. 

Clack  !  clack  !  went  its  boundino*  heels.    The 


44  DO  WN  TEE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

sound  set  those  of  Kitty  bounding  in  pursuit. 
It  was  the  merriest  race.  She  chased  her  elfish 
playfellow  round  and  round  the  meadow ;  but 
she  could  never  catch  him.  He  always  escaped 
her ;  tossing  back  his  curly  black  hair  and  tiny 
horns.  Still  they  scampered  about  until  Kitty 
was  quite  giddy  with  play. 

All  at  once  the  creature  stopped  short,  and 
said: 

"  I  know  Johnnie.  Come,  let  us  look  for 
Johnnie." 

"  For  Johnnie !"  cried  Kitty,  bewildered. 
"  Where  shall  we  look  for  him  ?" 

"  In  Naughty  Children  Land,  of  course  !"  he 
answered. 

"  Oh  !  Naughty  Children  Land  !  Naughty 
Children  Land  !"  repeated  Kitty,  who  vaguely 
felt  as  if  she  knew  the  place. 

"  I  am  sure  Johnnie  was  naughty.  You  are 
naughty.  I'll  bring  you  where  all  the  naughty 
children  are !"  The  elfin  having  stretelied 
itself  on  the  ground,  put  its  ell)ows  on  the 
grass  and  its  chin  on  its  bro^vn  hands. 

Kitty  sat  down  opposite. 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


45 


4'.wi^^ 


" Is    the   naugh- 
tiest child  there  ?" 
she  asked  eagerly. 
"  The  naughtiest ! — yes,  the  very  naughtiest. 
The  greediest ;   the  vainest ;  the  mischievous- 
est,"  answered   her  elfin  comrade,  kicking  up 
its  heels. 

"  Are  they  punished  ?"  asked  Kitty. 
"  Punished  !       No,    they    are    petted  !"    the 
queer  creature  replied,  rolling  itself  round  and 
round  with  laughing, 

"  I  think  I  should  like  to  go,"  said  Kitty. 
"  Come  along ;  Til  take  you.     It  is  the  most 


46  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

comical   place   you  ever  saw ;"  and  the  goat- 
legged  being  sprang  to  its  feet. 

Kitty  got  up. 

Her  play -fellow  opened  the  wicket-gate,  and 
they  passed  out  together  into  a  broad  and 
flowery  path  hand  in  hand. 

Skip,  skip,  down  the  path  they  went  to- 
gether. 

Skip,  skip,  through  a  lovely  wood  Avhere 
grew  all  Kitty's  favorite  flowers.  Honey- 
suckles garlanded  the  way,  and  thrust  out 
their  waxen  blossoms  like  fingers  to  catch 
them  as  they  passed.  Wild  roses,  that  looked 
like  fallen  stars  on  the  bushes ;  little  pools  of 
blue  hyacinths,  hosts  of  golden  king-cups,  ox- 
lips,  and  daisies  lined  the  road. 

Skip,  skip,  past  a  stream  on  which  the  water- 
lilies  floated.  Dragon-flies  darted  zigzag  like 
jewels  writing  on  the  air.  Butterflies  hovered, 
birds  sang,  lied  squirrels  ran  up  trees  and 
stopped  cracking  their  nuts  to  look  at  them. 
A  gray  field-mouse  peered  out,  moving  its  tiny 
mouth  incessantly  as  if  talking  to  itself.  The 
trees  rustled  ;  the  shadows  waved  as  the  breeze 
rocked  the  l)oughs. 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAJMS.  47 

Ski^,  skip,  first  on  one  cloven  foot  and  one 
tiptoe,  then  on  tlie  otker  cloven  foot  and  tke 
other  tiptoe,  went  Kitty's  guide  and  Kitty  fol- 
lowed. 

Suddenly  they  came  to  the  oddest  place  Kitty 
had  ever  seen.  It  was  right  in  the  center  of  the 
wood  on  the  other  side  of  a  ditch.  They  paused 
to  look  at  it. 


48  DOWN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

NAUGHTY     CHILDKEN     LAND. 

It  was  an  extraordinary  looking  place.  Kitty 
thought  it  was  the  queerest  place  she  had  ever 
seen.  It  had  a  tumbled-about,  pulled-about 
appearance,  for  the  ground  was  all  in  mounds 
and  holes,  and  the  roots  of  the  trees  bulged 
bare  from  the  sides  of  the  banks.  Presently 
there  came  a  sound  of  screaming  and  shouting. 
Above  these  dismal  cries  Kitty  fancied  she 
heard  the  sound  of  smacking. 

"  Is  that  Naughty  Children  Land  ?"  she  asked. 

Her  j)lay-fellow  did  not  answer. 

She  turned  to  look  for  him,  l)ut  the  (pieer 
creature  was  gone,  Kitty  was  alone.  "Ex- 
traordinary !"  nuittered  Kitty.  "  It  must  be 
Naughty  Chihh'eu  Land,"  she  continued.  It 
was  not  at  all  difficult  to  get  into  Naughty  Chil- 
dren Land  ;  just  a  step  down  a  bank,  a  jump 
over  a  ditch,  and  Kitty  was  in  it. 


NA  UOHTT  CHILDREN  LAND. 


49 


Sh^  made  a  few  steps  forward.  The  ground 
was  covered  with  broken  toys.  Battered, 
smashed,  noseless,  eyeless,  hairless  dollies ; 
tops  without  a  spin  in  them ;  whips  without 
handles,   drums  without  heads ;  torn  picture- 


books,  blotted  copy-books,  mangled  lesson- 
books,  their  pages  miserably  fluttering  about. 

Queer  dull  little  birds,  with  one  feather  only 
for  a  tail,  flew  here  and  there,  uttering  melan- 
choly chirps.  "  Tweet — tweet !"  they  cried. 
"  Hi — ss— hiss  "  shrieked  a  cat,  making  an  co  of 
his  thin  body,  and  waving  a  tail  that  appeared 
to  have  been  pulled  and  pulled  till  it  was  more 
like  a  bell-rope  than  anything  else. 

But  what  attracted  Kitty's  attention  was  a 


50  DOWN  THE  8N0W  STAIRS. 

group  of  little  girls,  sitting  with  their  shoulders 
up  to  their  ears,  their  chins  in  their  hands,  their 
hair  falling  over  their  eyes.  They  would  have 
been  very  pretty  but  for  their  frowning  eye- 
brows, their  puckered  foreheads,  their  tumbled 
hair,  their  under  lips,  that  had  stuck  out  so 
long  that  now  they  always  stuck  out.  Every 
now  and  then  these  dismal  children  gave  a  big 
spiteful  sob,  and  their  faces  were  smeared  with 
dirty  tears. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  AVhy  do  you  look  so 
miserable  V  asked  Kitty. 

At  first  the  woebegone  children  drew  down 
their  eyebrows  more  closely,  and  stuck  their 
under  lips  further  out.  Then  in  a  sing-song, 
sob-broken  voice,  raising  their  shoulders  still 
nearer  to  their  ears,  burying  their  chins  deeper 
in  their  hands,  making  wryer  faces,  they  sang 
in  a  chorus : 

"  Yes,  we  can,  we  shtill,  we  will. 

Who's  to  make  us  smile  and  play? 
Xo — we  must  be  wretched  still. 
Sulky  are  we? — So  you  say. 

]^o,  we  will  not,  no,  we  shall  not. 
No,  we  will  not  laugh  or  play. 


NA  UOUTY  CUILDREN  LAND. 

''  Do  we  mope  and  do  we  scowl? 
What  a  lot  you  seem  to  know. 
PVaps  you'd  like  to  hear  us  howl; 
Pray,  if  you  don't  like  it — go. 


61 


No,  we  will  not,  no,  we  shall  not. 
No,  we  will  not  laugh  or  play. 

"  If  it  suits  us  best  to  mutter. 

Lift  the  shoulders,  hang  tlie  head; 
All  that  you  will  hear  us  utter 
Is  what  we've  already  said. 


53  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

No,  we  will  not,  no,  we  shall  not. 
No,  we  will  not  laugh  or  play." 

"  Well,  I  never  heard  of  any  one  yet  liking 
to  be  miserable  all  the  day  long,"  said  Kitty 
with  a  smile  that  grew  broader  and  broader  as 
she  looked  at  the  dismal,  dejected  group.  But 
they  took  no  further  notice  of  her.  She  stood 
hesitating  and  watching.  Should  she  jump 
back  over  the  ditch  and  go  to  look  for  that  elf, 
or  should  she  go  on  ? 

The  children  still  kept  up  their  doleful 
cliant. 

"  I  am  sure  I  shall  find  the  naughtiest  cliild 
in  this  place,"  tliought  Kitty,  "  and  I  should  so 
like  to  see  it.  Of  course  I'll  find  my  way  l)ack. 
It  will  be  quite  easy.  Those  broken  toys  will 
ginde  me,  and  those  little  girls,"  she  went  on, 
with  a  twinkle  in  her  eyes,  "  who  are  determined 
to  l)e  wretched  will  still  be  here.  They  do  not 
seem  inclined  to  I'un  away." 

Kitty  walked  on.  Certainly  it  was  the 
most  extraordinai'Y  place  that  could  be  imag- 
ined. Tlirougli  the  trees  she  could  see  houses. 
All  the  windows  seemed  t(^  have  broken  panes; 


NA  UGHTT  CHILDREN  LAND.  53 

fat,  cross  children  looked  out ;  the  gardens 
seemed  'to  be  a  tangle  of  thistles  and  ^v'eeds. 

More  broken  toys,  more  blotted  copy-books, 
more  torn  picture-l)ooks ;  everywhere  ^veeping, 
howling,  shouting.  She  could  see  no  one  here  ; 
probably  all  were  sitting  at  home  crying.  It 
was  as  if  everyl)ody  was  crying  in  the  place. 
There  were  plaintive  cries,  and  angry  cries,  and 
lazy,  nothing-else-to-do  cries.  There  were  cries 
like  old  street  organs  that  had  lost  the  begin- 
nings and  ends  of  their  tunes,  and  still  went 
round  and  round,  '^  piano,  crescendo,  piano, 
crescendo,"  as  the  music-books  have  it.  There 
were  cries  like  l^agpipes  in  a  rage,  shrill,  blus- 
tering, furious  ;  there  were  cries  like  bagpipes 
that  had  caught  a  cold  and  were  going  to 
sneeze. 

Kitty's  blue  eyes  twinkled  as  she  listened  to 
these  weepings.  ''  Those  children  ought  all  to 
be  whipped  and  put  to  bed,"  she  said  severely. 
"  That  would  brighten  them  up." 

Through  that  chorus  of  cries  she  distin- 
guished l)arks — not  jovial,  satisfied,  in(]uisitive 
barks — but    snarls,     and    growls,     and  angry, 


54 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STATES. 


frightened  yappings.     She  heard  fierce  mews 
and  hissings  also — every  now  and  then  lean 
cats  ran  along  at  full  speed,  their  ears  lying 
back,  their  eyes  full  of  a  wild,  hunted  light. 
"  Pussy  !  pussy  !"  said  Kitty  softly  as  a  black 

creature  dashed  past 
her.  It  whisked  up  a 
tree,and  glared  at  her 
with  eyes  like  green 
lamps.  Kitty  thought 
of  the  pussy  at  home, 
of  his  sleek  fur  coat, 
his  c()mfortal)le  ^vays. 
"  Pussy!  pussy  !"  she 


said  aQ:ain  in  her  most 


winning  voice. 

"Hi — ss  !"  answered  the  cat,  ruffling  up  all 
his  fur  and  glaring  at  her  spitefully. 

"A  most  unamiable,  disagreeahle  cat  !  lie 
ought  to  be  whipped  and  put  to  bed  also," 
said  Kitty,  and  she  marched  on  with  an  offend- 
ed air. 

Birds  which  looked  as  if  the)-  were  ahvays 
molting  watched  her  as  she  passed,  presenting 


NA  TJQHTT  CHILDREN  LAND.  55 

a  most  dejected  appearance  witli  tlieir  heads 
very  much,  on  one  side. 

"  Poor  birdies — birdies  !"  whispered  Kitty 
softly. 

At  the  first  step  she  made  in  their  direction 
tliey  flew  off  with  as  much  flutter  as  their 
feeble  wings  could  make. 

"  I  wonder  have  I  grown  horrid  to  look  at, 
that  they  are  all  so  frightened  at  me  !"  muttered 
Kitty.  She  felt  her  cheeks,  her  nose.  Her 
nose  seemed  to  be  the  same  round  little  nose 
inclined  to  point  upward,  her  cheeks  felt  plump 
and  soft. 

All  at  once  something  cold  dropped  on  the 
nape  of  her  neck,  just  behind  her  ear.  Kitty 
put  up  her  hand  and  took  hold  of  a  goggle- 
eyed  frog.  "  Oh,  oh,  oh  !"  she  cried  Avith  a 
shiver,  throwing  it  away. 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !"  shouted  a  little  boy,  dancing 
round  and  round. 

He  was  the  queerest  little  lad  she  liad  ever 
seen.  Pie  had  short  legs,  and  a  queer  little  fat 
figure,  and  queer  little  pointed  ears ;  queer 
little  curls  fell  over  his  forehead,  and  he  had 
queer  yellow  eyes. 


56 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


He  looked  so  funny,  putting  one  in  mind  of 
something  between  a  monkey,  a  sc^uirrel,  and  a 


l)oy,  tkat  Kitty  after  a  moment  began  to  laugli. 
It  seemed  to  her  that  Cousin  Cliarlie  might 
h)ok  like  that  at  his  \'ery  naughtiest. 


NA  UOHTY  CHILDREN  LA  ND.  5  7 

"  Make  friends,"  said  tlie  boy,  stopping  his 
dance.     "  Give  me  a  kiss." 

"  Certainly  not,"  answered  Kitty ;  ''  but  per- 
haps I  may  shake  hands  with  you." 

She  put  out  her  hand,  cautiously  watching 
the  boy,  who  had  a  gleam  in  his  eyes  she  did 
not  quite  like.  He  approached  with  a  hop  and 
a  jump. 

"  There's  a  sweet  for  you,"  he  cried,  deposit- 
ing a  spider  on  Kitty's  palm. 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh  !"  she  shivered,  gathering  herself 
into  a  little  trembling  mass  of  disgust,  skipping 
about  and  shaking  her  finger  tips  to  make  sure 
she  had  dropped  the  spider. 

The  boy  laughed  louder  and  louder ;  that  was 
evidently  his  idea  of  fun. 

"  You  are  the  disagreeablest,  mischievousest 
boy,"  said  Kitty,  turning  away,  and  trying  to 
make  her  ^vords  sound  as  Ic^no;  and  severe  as  she 
could,  '■'■  You  deserve  to  be  where  you  are,  in 
Naughty  Children  Land,  I  am  going  to  leave 
it." 

She  blinked  her  eyes  to  prevent  the  tears 
from  falling.     She  would  not  for  all  the  world 


58  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS, 

that  tlie  queer  boy  should  see  lie  had  made  her 
cry. 

As  she  turned  away  he  sang  lustily  after 
her: 

**  Up  and  down,  and  round  and  round. 
Turn  to  left  and  turn  to  right. 
Never  will  the  way  be  found 

By  weary  walking  day  and  night." 

Kitty  pretended  not  to  hear.  She  walked 
back  the  way  she  fancied  she  had  come.  Be- 
fore, behind,  on  every  side  of  her  stretched  the 
tumbled-al)out  land,  and  every  untidy  side 
looked  exactly  like  the  other.  Was  she  really 
going  only  round  and  round  ?  Presently  she 
found  herself  standing  once  more  close  to  the 
queer  little  boy.  There  were  a  numl)er  of  other 
cliildren  about  the  phice  now.  They  were  hav- 
ing liigli  games,  throwing  eacli  otlier  into  a 
duckweed  pond,  full  of  frogs  that  loudly 
croaked  tlieii'  vexation;  or  tliey  were  trying  to 
make  each  other  slip  into  a  bed  of  nettles,  or 
sit  do\vn  on  a  wasp's  nest. 

Bii — uzz  !    bii — uzz  !    went  the   wasps  in  a 


IfA  UGHTY  CHILDREN  LAND.  59 

THe- children  laughed  louder  and  louder,  till 
they  fairly  screamed  with  merriment. 

The  queer  little  boy  sat  by  himself,  striking 
one  stone  against  another.  Out  of  the  dark, 
dull  stones  the  sparks  flew,  golden  and  beauti- 
ful.    As  they  flew  up  he  laughed. 

"  Listen,  I'll  tell  you  a  secret,"  he  said,  wink- 
ing one  yellow  eye  at  Kitty.  "  I  am  practicing 
to  set  the  world  on  fire." 

"  The  world — on — fire  !"  she  repeated,  quite 
breathless. 

The  queer  boy  nodded  his  head. 

"  Listen ;  the  sparks  will  catch  the  trees  in 
the  wood.  There  will  be  a  hiss,  a  flame.  How 
the  people  "will  run,  scamper,  and  tumble ! 
They  will  tumble  about  like  ninepins  in  their 
fright ;  and  \\o^Y  their  hair  will  catch  fire  ! 
But  the  flames  ^vil]  run  faster.  Hurrah,  what 
a  bonfire  that  will  l)e  !" 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  he  leaped  about, 
swinging  his  arms ;  his  teeth  flashed.  Kitty 
thouo-ht  he  looked  like  a  small  tio-er. 

*'  But  you  would  be  burned  yourself,"  she 
said,  ^vith  a  gleam  in  her  eyes. 


60  DOWN  TEE  8N0 W  STA IMS. 

"  Oh,  I  am  brave  !  I  don't  mind  pain  !"  said 
the  boy,  beginning  to  strike  the  stones  once 
more  with  a  fine  flourish.  Bang  went  the  up- 
lifted stone  down  upon  liis  thumb,  and  hit  it 
witli  a  great  thump.  The  boy  set  up  a  roar, 
like  that  of  forty  cross  babies. 

"Oh!  o-oh!  0-o-o-h-h!  Daddy  Coax— 
Da-addy  Coax  !"  he  shouted,  flinging  down  the 
stones  and  running  off  with  all  the  speed  of 
his  legs. 

"  Daddy  Coax  !  I  wonder  who  Daddy  Coax 
is  ?  It  soTinds  a  nice  name  !"  thought  Kitty. 
Then  she  continued  :  "  Setting  the  world  on 
fire  !  Avitli  the  dear  little  birds,  and  the  pussies, 
and  the  faithful  dogs  in  it !  And  there  would 
be  the  old  people,  and  the  crippled  children 
A\ho  can't  run  !" 

The  thought  of  Johnnie  seemed  to  knock  at 
her  lieai't,  yet  slie  did  not  remember  distinctly. 
She  seemed  to  liear  the  eager,  uneven  thump 
of  his  ci'utcli.  Again  her  little  heart  ached 
with  the  confused  sense  of  ])ain.  She  walked 
on  fastei'. 

She    made    her    way    toward    a    wood   that 


NA  UGHTY  CHILDREN  LAND. 


61 


seemed  the  only  pretty  spot  near.  As  she  ap- 
proached it  she  nearly  fell  over  a  wee  girl  who 
was  kneeling,  watching  a  lovely  butterfly,  with 
wings   like  quivering  flowers,   twinkling    and 


.  "-^' 

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.^^  ; 

-.^^^' " 

^^^^^^"'^^ 

^ 

"^  ^'^-V-                  ^— ' 

/u^SiiHB^Sy- 

J-^^>j          -     :'" 

£sB^BB^^d 

_-^ 

■"^^^li^^Sgx 

^  -"-^    /  "     ■' 

^JbLU?      ''^J*         1 

Vr'V^ifc 

fc^      -C     ^      ^^^^^ 

..-    ^^-^um '4 

J/      ^ 

IL        '^'^'--^'-^2^ 

^^-^  fi-^K^^'l 

m^ 

Pj^---    -~ 

-^_     ^^^^//l 

Wcnr 

^\C    '" 

^^ 

^|i^ 

^^,_^ 

^      6^^ 

■^^^I^pr'  O^^r-^" 

t^'  • 

hovering  near  the  ground.  As  it  rested  to 
stretch  its  briglit  body  for  a  moment,  do\vn 
came  the  clinched  little  fist  and  crushed  the 
happy  winged  creature. 

"  Oh,  how  could  you  ?"  cried  Kitty. 

"  Don't  you  love  to  kill  fies  and  butterfies 
and  see  them  Avis:<rle  T  asked  the  child.     She 


62  DOWN  THE  smW  STATUS. 

was  so  small  she  could  not  speak  plain  yet ; 
but  her  bright  black  eyes  twinkled,  and  she 
showed  her  wicked  litte  teeth. 

Before  Kitty  could  answer  she  heard  the 
tramp  of  small  feet  running.  The  next  mo- 
ment she  was  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  chil- 
dren, who  cried :  "  Come  along,  come  along ! 
We  are  going  to  rob  a  nest.  There  are  two 
new-born  l)irds  with  yellow  beaks,  and  there 
are  three  blue-speckled  eggs.  Tlie  mothei'  bird 
is  sitting  on  them.  The  father  bird  is  watch- 
ing.    We'll  kill  him  with  a  stone." 

"  AVe'll  Ijlow  the  eggs  and  string  them  for  a 
necklace,"  cried  a  girl. 

"  I  won't  come  !"  exclaimed  Kitty  indignant- 
ly.    "  How  can  you  l)e  so  wicked  ?" 

A  pitiless  liand  seized  hers.  It  was  so  strong 
in  its  unkindness  it  ])ulle(l  lier  along. 

"  Let  me  go  !  let  me  go  !"  entreated  Kitty  as 
the  cruel  chihlren  pushed  and  pulled  her. 

llun  slie  must ;  run  w  ith  the  children.  Oh  ! 
the  cruel  children,  with  hands  strono:  to  hurt, 
with  feet  niml)le  t(^  give  pain,  with  shrill  voices 
to  jeer  and  mock. 


NA  UGETY  CHILDUBN  LAND.  63 

Presently  Kitty  saw  a  hedge,  and  in  it  a 
pretty  nest,  so  cunningly  built.  It  lay  among 
tlie  fresh  green  leaves.  A  baby  prince  could 
not  have  a  daintier  cradle,  set  among  shadier 
curtains,  than  had  those  callow  birds.  The 
father  bird  was  fluttering  above  uttering  cries 
of  reproach.  A  thousand  other  birds  were 
singing ;  Kitty  understood  their  song. 

They  sang  of  their  love  for  their  pretty  nest- 
lings, of  their  pride  in  the  nest  they  built  in 
the  sweet  spring  weather. 

"  Twe — et  !  twe — et !  bur — rrr  !"  sang  the 
father  bird,  with  all  his  heart  in  his  throat. 
"  Shame  upon  the  boys  and  girls  who  find  sport 
in  robbing  the  homes  we  and  our  mates  make 
so  patiently  !" 

"  Twe — et !  twe — et !  Save  my  little  ones," 
piteously  cried  the  mother  bird. 

Her  head  showed  just  above  the  border  of 
the  nest.  Brave  mother  bird  !  she  did  not 
stir  as  the  children  came  nearer.  Out  of 
the  green  twilighty  hedge  her  watching  eyes 
shone  wistfully.  Kitty  thought  they  turned 
upon  her.  Their  light  seemed  to  burn  into  her 
heart. 


64 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


"  Twe — et !  twe — et  !  Save  my  little  ones  ! 
Save  my  little  ones  !"  entreated  tlie  mother 
bird. 


Tlien  Kitty  sprang  from  tlie  children.  She 
])laced  herself  l)etween  them  and  that  part  of 
the  hedire  where  stood  the  nest.      She  defended 


NA  UOnTT  CHILDREN  LAND.  65 

its  approach  with  all  her  might.  She  waved 
her  brave  little  arms  like  the  sails  of  a  wind- 
mill in  a  tempest,  pushing  down  the  children 
as  they  came.  Pitiful  little  arms,  eager  to 
comfort,  not  to  hurt.  The  father  bird  did  his 
best  to  help  in  the  battle.  He  ile^v  against 
the  invaders.  He  fluttered  his  wings  in  their 
faces.     He  pecked  at  their  noses,  at  their  hair. 

"  Twe  —  et,  bu  —  urr,  bu  —  urr  !  Shame, 
shame  !"  he  cried  louder  and  louder. 

The  mother  bird  kept  up  a  piteous  twe — et. 

This  touching  little  noise,  that  sounded  be- 
tween a  sob  and  a  prayer  to  be  delivered  from 
the  cruel  children,  seemed  to  give  Kitty 
streno-th.  But  Avliat  could  she  do  a^-ainst  so 
many  ?  Alone  against  a  crew  of  spoilers ! 
She  shut  her  eyes  as  the  children  dragged  her 
from  the  place  she  had  defended.  She  heard 
them  clamberin«:  throuofh  the  hedo-e  and  the 
crack  of  the  twigs.  She  heard  the  sorrow  of 
all  the  birds — the  screech  of  the  father,  the 
wail  of  the  mother.  Then  came  a  wild  hurrah  ! 
and  she  knew  the  children  had  their  hands  on 
the  nest.     The  hurrah  stopped  all  of  a  sudden. 


66  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

Kitty  looked  up.  Two  severe-looking  old 
dames,  carrying  birch  rods,  had  suddenly  ap- 
peared on  the  scene. 

Whack  !  whack  !  went  the  rods. 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh  !  Daddy  Coax  !  Daddy  Coax  !" 
cried  the  children,  running  away.  Tliey  might 
be  very  brave  laying  siege  to  birds'  nests ;  but 
they  could  not  run  away  fast  enough  from 
these  birch  rods. 

The  stern-looking  old  ladies  pounced  upon 
the  leaders  of  the  gang,  and  held  them  firmly 
tucked  under  their  arms.  Kitty  saw  the  ])lack- 
eyed  child  who  liked  to  kill  "  fies  "  and  "  but- 
terfies." 

As  she  stood  looking,  the  severe  dames  sud- 
denly disappeared,  carrying  oft'  the  children  as 
they  vanished. 

"  Extraordinary  !"  muttered  Kitty,  rubbing 
her  eyes. 

She  looked  to  the  right,  to  the  left ;  they 
were  gone  !  ''  I  can't  understand  it !  They 
were  here  a  moment  ago — and  who  is  Daddy 
Coax  ?      How  shall  I  find  out  where  he  lives  ?" 


"  TO  DADD  Y  COAX 'S  RO USE."  67 


CHAPTER  V. 


"  I  SHALL  take  you  there,"  said  a  voice. 

Kitty  turned  round  and  saw  a  little  girl 
standing  with  lier  eyes  modestly  cast  on  the 
ground, 

"  I  think  I  saw  you  with  the  cruel  children 
who  were  going  to  rob  the  nest,"  she  said 
bluntly. 

"No,  indeed,  I  never  hurt  anything,"  an- 
swered the  girl.  As  she  said  this  a  pimple 
came  out  on  her  lips.  "  I  never  hurt  anything," 
she  continued,  in  a  high  voice — "  never.  If  a 
mos(piito  or  a  Ilea  bite  me,  I  let  them  bite.  I 
say,  '  Poor  things,  they  are  hungry  ;  I  am  their 
supper,  I  am  their  dinner.' " 

"  You  are  good  !"  said  Kitty,  very  much  im- 
pressed, but  still  with  a  rather  doubtful  tone. 

"  Yes,  I  am  very  good,"  said  the  little  girl, 


68  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

with  a  sigh,  and  as  she  said  this  another  pimple 
came  out,  this  time  on  her  nose. 

Kitty  could  not  speak,  she  was  so  surprised 
at  finding  this  good  little  girl  here.  They 
walked  on  through  the  wood,  and  here  presently 
they  heard  singing.  It  was  a  l^right  tune,  and 
Kitty  distinguished  the  words : 

''  What  a  lovely,  lovely  face 
Peeping  slyly  up  at  me. 
Mocking  when  I  make  grimace. 
Can  it  be?     Can  it  be? 
Yes,  it  is  my  own  I  see." 

They  had  come  to  a  place  where  there  was  a 
pool  set  round  with  blossoms  and  reeds,  like  a 
mirror  in  a  charming  frame.  All  around  it 
a  number  of  little  girls  were  kneeling,  bending 
over,  smiling,  bowing  to  themselves,  making 
the  most  extraordinary  grimaces  as  they  decked 
themsehes  with  flowers,  and  talked  and  sang 
to  their  own  reflections. 

A  fat,  green  frog  and  his  family  sat  on  a 
water  lily  leaf ;  all  the  frogs  hopped  and  bowed 
as  they  looked  over  its  border,  croaking  all  the 
time,  as  much  as  to  say  : 


"  TO  DADD  Y  COAX'S  HOUSE." 


69 


"  Look   at   us ;    admire   us !      Are   we   not 
beautiful  creatures  ?" 


,     |/  "AVho  are 

'J^-^^  -^'^^  those  children, 

^    ^^^^^S     are    the^     idiots?" 
asked  Kitty  in  an 
affrighted  whisper. 
"  They  are  worse  than  idiots ;  they  are  vain," 
sighed  her  guide. 


70  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

The  children  were  far  too  much  occupied 
gazing  at  themselves  to  see  any  one  else.  They 
kept  on  murmuring  lovingly  to  their  reflections 
down  in  the  water. 

''Is  that  not  a  lovely  smile? 

Lips  of  coral,  teeth  like  pearls, 
Nose  of  truly  Grecian  style. 
Eyes  of  sapphire,  silken  curls," 

sang  one  softly,  continuing  to  smile  to  herself. 

"  Such  a  nose 
Xo  one  knows. 
Two  lips  like  a  budding  rose 
Placed  for  pretty  nose  to  smell. 
Pinky  ear  slui})ed  like  a  shell,'' 

crooned  a  second,  who  ^vas  making  grimaces  in 
her  efforts  to  kiss  her  own  face. 

"  Oh  where,  and  oh  where 
Is  a  girl  whose  hair 
Runs  to  curl?     Ilow  fair! 
How  finel  see  it  shine! 
Sweet  curl!  darling  girl!" 

a  third  sang  jo}'ously,  putting  a  ^vreath  on  her 
head. 


"  TO  DADDY  COAX'S  HOUSE."  n 

'^  A  silken  robe, 

A  spreading  train 
Rustling  there  and  back  again; 

A  veil  of  lace, 

A  gracious  face, 
A  queen,  a  queen,  and  fit  to  reign," 

joined  in  another,  promenading  up  and  down 
and  craning  lier  neck  to  see  the  effect  of  her 
dress  at  the  back. 

Then  together  all  the  children  sang : 

"■  Who  cares  for  work  ! 
Who  cares  for  play! 
Don't  disturb  me  now,  I  pray; 
There  is  no  prettier  sight  for  me 
Than  when  my  charming  self  I  see." 

"  Croak,  croak,  croak,"  joined  in  the  frogs, 
jumping  in  accompaniment  to  the  song. 

Kitty  was  never  to  forget  the  sight ;  the 
pretty,  shining  pool  surrounded  hy  beautiful 
flowers ;  the  speckled  frogs  gazing  at  them- 
selves affectionately  over  the  edge  of  the  lily 
leaf ;  the  little  i>:irls  aTimacini]:,  smilino:,  and 
singing  to  themselves  so  lovingly.  It  all  seemed 
so  droll  that  she  burst  out  lauo^hinii:. 


72  DO  WW  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

Suddenly  she  stopped,  for  she  heard  lier 
laugh  taken  up  hy  everything  around  her ;  up 
in  the  trees,  down  from  the  sky,  all  through 
the  reeds  and  flowers.  Everything  was  laugh- 
ing with  Kitty's  laugh. 

She  stopped,  and  still  the  laugh  was  going 
on.  Ha !  ha  !  ha  !  Ho  !  ho  !  ho  !  As  if  every- 
thing had  l)een  inwardly  laughing  until  then, 
but  had  not  known  ho^v  to  express  laughter 
until  she  gave  it  a  voice. 

The  children  started  to  their  feet ;  they 
looked  around,  they  saw  Kitty,  and  were  rusli- 
incr  toward  her  in  their  ano-er,  ^\heu  all  at 
once,  but  whence  Kitty  coidd  not  tell,  tliei'e 
appeared  the  two  severe  old  ANonieu  waving 
their  bii'ch  rods. 

"  Iloity  !  t(nty  !"  they  muttered,  lading  hold 
of  as  many  of  the  chihh'cn  as  they  could  pounce 
upon.  '^  You'll  have  enough  of  youi'  faces  by 
Christmas  Day  in  Punishment  Land." 

They  strode  off  so  (piickly  with  the  childi'en 
tucked  under  their  arms  that  Kitty  could  not 
tell  which  way  they  liad  gone,  any  more  than 
she  could  tell  how  they  had  come. 


"  TO  DADDT  COAX  '8  HOUSE.' 


73 


"  I  am  not  vain,     I  never  look  at  myself  in 
tlie  glass,"  remarked  the  little  girl  in  her  high 


voice;  as  she  said  this  another  pimple  came  out, 
this  time  on  her  forehead,  over  her  right  eye. 
"  When  I  Ijrush  my  hair,  or  pin  on  my  collar,  I 


74  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

sliut  my  eyes  not  to  see  my  face.  Not  even  to 
have  a  peep." 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Kitty,  watching  with  great 
interest  the  pimples  spreading  and  spreading, 
"  how  you  ever  came  to  Naughty  Children 
Land  when  you  are  so  good." 

"  I  come  to  teach  the  children  to  be  erood ," 
answered  her  guide  with  a  smug  sigh.  • 

Another  pimple,  larger  than  the  others,  was 
just  coming  out  on  her  left  cheek,  when  Kitty 
gave  a  start  and  the  demure  little  girl  a  scream. 
One  of  the  old  ladies  suddenly  appeared  behind 
the  latter's  back — ho\v^  she  had  come  there  was 
the  wonder ;  she  tucked  the  boaster  under  her 
arm,  and  marched  oif  at  a  tremendous  rate,  with 
her  captive  screaming  and  wriggling  in  the 
wildest  passion. 

'^  I  am  sure  she  was  not  a  lut  good,  and  I  am 
sure  she  was  a  srreat  choose— never  killinix  a  flea 
or  taking  a  peep  at  herself  m  the  glass,"  mut- 
tered Kitty,  straining  her  eyes  to  discover  which 
way  tliey  had  gone. 

"  I  Avonder  a\  here  the  old  women  take  them  ?" 
she  continued. 


"  TO  DADDT  COAX'S  HOUSE."  75 

Look  which  way  she  would  she  could  not  see 
them.  They  had  disappeared  clean  out  of  sight 
before  she  could  have  said  "  Daddy  Coax." 

"  It  certainly  is  Vanish  Land  as  well  as 
Naughty  Children  Land,"  thought  Kitty  de- 
jectedly.    "  How  can  I  eA^erhnd  Daddy  Coax  ?" 

She  perceived  she  was  now  standing  on  the 
edge  of  the  wood  and  at  the  entrance  of  a  lane. 
The  lane  seemed  to  lead  to  Untidy  Village. 
She  could  just  see  the  houses  Avith  the  broken 
window-panes,  the  weedy  gardens,  the  ground 
all  covered  with  broken  toys  and  torn  books. 

Kitty  took  heart.  "  I'll  run  doAvn  the  lane. 
I  am  sure  Daddy  Coax  lives  in  the  village." 

She  had  not  gone  many  steps  down  the  lane 
when  she  came  upon  a  party  of  l)oys  and  girls 
having  a  picnic.  Gracious  !  how  they  gobbled  ; 
it  was  a  sight  to  see.  They  doul)led  up  whole 
buns  into  their  mouths,  crammed  do^\'n  tarts 
and  lumps  of  cakes.  Their  cheeks  were  puffed 
out,  their  noses  hidden.  Every  now  and  then 
they  gave  a  grasp,  stroked  themselves  up  and 
doAvn,  and  set  to  again. 

"Could  you  please  tell  me  the  way  to  Daddy 


76  I>0  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

Coax's  house  ?"  asked  Kitty  politely,  trying  to 
look  as  if  she  were  not  at  all  astonished  at  the 
quantity  the  children  were  eating  or  their 
manner  of  gobbling. 

They  said  something  that  sounded  between  a 
snort,  a  sneeze,  and  a  mouthful  of  pudding,  and 
went  on  cramming. 

Thin  birds  hovered  above  them,  lean  dogs 
and  cats  peered  hungrily  at  the  feast ;  but  when 
the  birds  came  down  to  pick  \\\)  the  crumbs,  or 
the  dogs  advanced  with  an  entreating  ^\'hine, 
and  the  cats  slowly  with  glittering  eyes,  the 
gobblers,  Avitli  a  hiss,  waved  their  arms  and 
frightened  away  the  beggars. 

"  I  think  it  is  perfectly  disgusting  to  be  so 
greedy,"  said  Kitty,  turning  her  back  upon  the 
picnickers.  She  walked  off  slowl}'.  She  could 
not  ])ear  the  sight  of  the  liungiy  animals  re- 
pulsed by  these  children,  who  looked  all  fat 
cheeks. 

No  ^v()nder  the  dogs  she  met  aj^peared  to  be 
always  watching  their  opportunity  to  bite 
somebody's  legs;  that  the  cats  seemed  to  have 
no  purr  in   tlieni  ;  tlie  birds  no   sweet  thanks- 


"TO  DADDY  COAX  '8  HO  USE. "  77 

giving  song;  that  the  crests  of  the  cocks  and 
hens  hung  depressed  like  bits  of  red  rags  out 
of  an  old-clothes  shop. 

"I  am  sure  these  fowls  have  no  merry 
thoughts,"  said  Kitty,  trying  to  make  a  joke 
just  because  she  felt  so  miserable. 

A  fat  small  boy,  with  cheeks  the  color  and 
shape  of  suet-dumplings,  was  sitting  apart  by 
himself,  gazing  with  a  melancholy  air  at  a  tart 
that  he  had  nibbled  all  round. 

"  I  cannot  finish  it,"  he  said  to  Kitty,  look- 
ing sadly  at  her.  ''  I  have  shaken  myself,  but 
it  makes  no  difference.  There  is  no  more  room 
inside  me." 

"  Never  mind,  you'll  eat  it  by  and  by,  when 
you  are  hungry  again.  It  will  taste  better 
then,"  said  Kitty  encouragingly. 

"It  could  not  taste  better,"  said  the  boy 
sadly.  "■  It  was  a  beautiful  tart,  all  jam  and 
almonds,  with  custard  on  the  top.  A  lovely 
tart.  I  have  eaten  thirteen,  all  different.  I 
feel  a  little  sick.  Ah  !"  he  went  on  with  a 
sigh  that  almost  blew  his  tart  away,  "  what  a 
dreadful  thing  to  have  all  those  good  things  to 


78  BO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS, 

eat  and  not  to  be  hungry  !     I  wish   I  were  al- 


thino;   2:  o  o  d 


to  eat 

"  But  then 


you  would    do    nothing    but    eat,"  remarked 
Kitty,  turning  away. 


"  TO  DADDY  COAX'S  HOUSE."  79 

"  Nothing  but  eat  tarts  and  cakes  and  sweets, 
never  feel  sick,  never  be  interrupted ;  that  must 
be  heaven,"  said  the  boy,  nodding  drowsily. 

Kitty  was  leaving  him  with  the  toss  of  her 
head,  the  firm  closing  of  her  lips,  and  dilating 
of  her  nostrils  that  was  her  usual  way  of  show- 
ing indignation,  w^hen  she  recollected  that  she 
did  not  know  her  way  to  Daddy  Coax's  house. 

"  Please  before  you  go  to  sleep,"  she  said, 
steadily  looking  over  the  boy's  head,  but  trying 
to  make  her  voice  sound  pleasant,  "would  you 
tell  me  the  way  to  Daddy  Coax's  house  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  kno^v  it ;  it  is  close  to  the  sweet-stuff 
shop.  Straight  on."  The  boy  made  an  effort 
to  get  up,  l)ut  down  he  sprawled  again.  "  I 
cannot  walk  just  now,  or  I  would  go  Avith  you 
as  far  as  the  sweet-stuff  shop.  There  is  lovely 
l)arley-sugar  and  plum-cake,  and  lots  of  raisins. 
Bath-buns  stuck  all  over  with  lumps  of  sugar, 
and  jam-puffs.  Which  do  you  like  best,  jam- 
puffs  or  })lum-cake  V 

''  Neither,"  said  Kitty,  jerking  out  the  ^vord 
and  jerking  up  her  chin. 

"  Neither  !"  feebly    echoed  the  fat  boy,  his 


80  I>0  WN  THE  8N0  W  8TA  IRS. 

cheeks  quivering  with  surprise.  "  Bath-ljuns, 
then  r 

"  You  are  very  dull,"  interrupted  Kitty  with 
flashing  eyes.  "  Whichever  way  I  turn  the 
conversation  you  turn-  it  back  to  tarts  and 
cakes." 

"  Con — ver — sa — tion  !  What  is  that  ?  Is 
it  plum-preserves  or  straw — ber — ry  ?"  and  he 
nodded  asleep  A\ith  a  snore. 

"  Conversation — preserves  !  He  is  stupid  !" 
said  Kitty,  walking  away.  She  tried  to  laugh, 
just  to  keep  from  feeling  miserable. 

Naughty  Children  Land  w^as  a  dull,  ugly 
place.  She  had  changed  her  mind  concerning 
it.  She  wished,  with  all  the  might  of  her 
little  heart,  she  had  never  put  her  foot  inside 
it,  and  she  Avas  glad  Johnnie  had  not  come  with 
her. 

As  she  came  nearer  to  the  end  of  the  lane 
she  could  more  ])lainly  see  the  village  of  which 
she  had  caught  only  glim})ses.  Tliere  were  the 
houses  witli  the  l)r()ken  window-panes,  through 
which  she  could  see  tlie  smashed  crockery  and 
furniture,  and  the  cross,  fat  cliildren    looking 


"  TO  BADDY  COAX'S  UOUSK"  81 

out.  ^  There  were  the  gardens  all  a-tangle  of 
thistles  and  weeds.  There  were  more  fright- 
ened animals,  more  shrieking,  sqiial)I)ling  chil- 
dren, kicking  and  growing  purple  in  the  face. 
There  were  the  do-nothing  children  dolefully 
crying  among  their  l)roken  toys  and  their  torn 
lesson-books.  There  were  the  mischievous 
children  playing  pranks  u})on  everybody.  All 
were  unhappy  !  Coming,  Kitty  could  not  tell 
whence,  and  going,  she  did  not  know  \\'liither, 
appearing  here — there — everywhere — as  if  out 
of  the  air,  were  the  stern  old  ladies,  pouncing 
upon  the  children  and  disappearing  ^vith  them. 

Kitty  n<^^v  perceived  a  group  of  little  girls 
who  looked  tattered  and  torn,  and  who  seemed 
to  be  playing  at  some  game.  They  were  run- 
nins:  about  in  all  directions,  looking:  here — 
looking  there — emptying  their  pockets — bang- 
ing thefr  sides — searching  the  ground — stop- 
ping suddenly  and  tapping  their  foreheads,  as 
if  to  find  somethino:  there. 

They  ^vere  in  rags,  but  they  had  good-hu- 
mored, slobbery,  dirty  faces, 

"  I   beg  your  pardon  for  interrupting  you ; 


82  DOWN  THE  SIfO  W  ST  A  IRS. 

but  could  you  tell  me  the  way  to  Daddy  Coax's 
house  V  Kitty  asked  in  her  best-eompany-man- 
ners  voice,  for  she  felt  this  was  her  last  chance 
— no  one  else  could  tell  her  if  these  children 
did  not. 

"  Daddy  Coax  !  oh,  yes,  certainly — we  know 
it  quite  well.  Turn  on  your  right — no — no- 
turn  on  your  left.     No;  keep  straight  along." 

"■  Daddy  Coax's  house  !  Why,  of  course — 
it's  somewhere." 

They  all  spoke  together,  or  rather  each  before 
the  other  had  finished,  so  their  words  sounded 
as  if  treading  on  each  other's  heels.  The}'  all 
pointed  as  they  spoke,  first  one  way,  then  the 
other.  At  last  they  all  tapped  their  foreheads, 
and  looked  at  each  other,  as  if  for  inspiration. 
Then  tlie>'  returned  to  their  game.  AMiat  was 
the  game  ^      Was  it  hunt  the  slipper? 

It  was  hunt  the  slipper,  hunt  the  liandker- 
chief,  hunt  the  pencil,  hunt  evei'ything  !" 

"There's  my  boot!"  cried  one.  "  It  had  got 
into  my  pocket." 

"I  have  found  my  handkei-chief  !"  shouted 
another  ti'iumpliantly.  ''  It  had  crumpled  itself 
up  in  my  sniidw  ich-l»o.\." 


"  TO  DADDY  COAX'S  HOUSE."  83 

"  Tkere  is  my  geography-book,  oh,  dear !  oh, 
dear  !  It  had  gone  and  thrown  itself  into  the 
slop-pail," 

"  Did  any  one  ever  see  so  many  blots  ?"  dole- 
fully muttered  one  little  girl,  turning  over  the 
pages  of  her  copy-book.  "  It  is  all  the  fault  of 
that  paper.     It  attracts  the  ink  so." 

Kitty  rather  liked  this  way  of  explaining  the 
presence  of  blots.  She  thought  there  was  some- 
thing in  it. 

"  Clang  !  clang  !"  went  a  bell.  The  untidy 
children  rushed  about,  looking  here,  looking 
there,  more  furiously  than  ever,  and  as  they 
searched  they  sang  faster  and  faster : 

"  '  AVhere  is  it?  where  is  it?  where  is  it? 
"Where  can  it  have  got  to?'  we  say. 
Only  just  turn  your  head,  and  yon  miss  it. 
Where's  this  thing,  and  that  thing,  and  t'other? 
Oh,  dear,  Avhat  a  terrible  bother 
That  things  should  be  always  astray. 
AVhere  is  it?  where  is  it?  we  say. 
They  were  all  of  them  here  just  this  minute, 
Yet  nothing  will  keep  in  its  place. 
As  to  '  order  '- — just  try  to  begin  it. 
Here's  the  soap  in  a  shoe,  and  the  hammer, 
The  taffy  put  inside  the  grammar. 


84  DOWN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

The  boot  that  was  wanting  a  lace. 

Oh,  don't  talk  to  iis  of  disgrace, 

For  nothing  will  keep  in  its  place! 

It's  hurry  and  scuttle  and  race; 

That's  the  way 

Every  day. 

Where  is  it?  where  is  it?  we  say." 

Singing  the  last  words,  they  ran  toward  the 
village.  As  tliey  ran  tliey  drop})ed  their  books, 
their  pencils,  their  hats,  their  gloves. 

"  Well,  they  are  untidy,"  said  Kitty. 

She  remained  with  her  eyes  round  open  with 
surprise.  She  was  just  on  the  threshold  of  a 
pretty  house  which  she  had  not  perceived  l)e- 
fore.  There  was  a  porch  before  the  door,  with 
a  cree})er  over  it ;  and  under  it  an  old  gentle- 
man was  sitting  fast  asleep  in  a  garden  arm- 
chair, with  a  handkerchief  over  his  knees. 


DADDT  COAX.  85 


CHAPTER  VI. 


DADDY    COAX. 


Kitty  stood  looking  at  liim,  not  quite  knoAv- 
ing  what  to  do,  for  she  did  not  like  to  wake 
him. 

He  looked  such  a  dear  old  gentleman.  He 
wore  a  snuff -colored  coat  and  brown  breeches, 
and  a  Avig.  Although  his  eyes  were  shut,  and 
his  mouth  was  open,  and  some  mischievous 
child  had  given  his  wig  a  cock  on  one  side,  he 
had  yet  the  pleasantest  face.  His  pockets 
bidged  out  with  sweets  and  toys  :  the  head  of  a 
wooden  horse  peeped  out  of  one,  that  of  a  dolly 
looked  out  of  the  othei'. 

"  I  am  sure  he  is  Daddy  Coax,"  said  Kitty  to 
herself  joyously. 

The  little  boy,  with  the  queer  curls  and  the 
queer  yellow  eyes  and  the  queer  short  legs, 
whom  she  had  met  on  entering  Xaughty  Chil 


86  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

dren  Land,  was  standing  a  few  paces  from  tlie 
old  man.  lie  held  a  small  looking-glass  and 
caught  the  sunlight  upon  it.  As  he  waved  the 
mirror  about  a  spot  of  light  like  a  golden  bird 
or  a  butterfly  danced  up  and  down.  Sometimes 
it  rested  on  the  sleeper's  nose,  sometimes  on  one 
eye,  then  on  the  other,  sometimes  on  his  fore- 
head. Every  time  the  spot  of  light  rested  on 
his  face  the  old  man  moved  in  his  sleep,  lifted 
his  hand,  and  tried  to  brush  it  a^vay.  Just  as 
Kitty  came  up  a  little  girl  began  to  tickle  his 
ear  Avitli  a  straw,  and  the  spot  of  light  danced 
so  dazzlingly  before  his  eyes  that  the  slee})er 
jumped  uj)  with  a  start,  wildly  waved  his  liand- 
kerchief,  beating  the  air  a\  ith  it.  Then  all  at 
once  he  fell  flat  on  the  ground,  tripped  up  by 
a  cord  tliat  had  l)een  tied  across  the  })ath, 

AVhen  this  hap[)ened  the  children  I'oared  Avitli 
laughter  and  ran  in(h)ors.  Kitty  went  to  the 
old  gentleman  as  he  lay  moaning,  gently  helped 
him  to  rise,  and  led  him  back  to  his  arm-chair. 
His  wig  had  fallen  on  the  ground;  she  picked 
it  up;  he  looked  very  odd  with  his  bald  head  ; 
but  Kitty  pursed  up  her  lips  not  to  smile,  for 


DADDY  COAX. 


87 


she  feat-ed  to  hurt  his  feelings.  She  placed  the 
wig  on  his  head,  made  it  straight,  and  then  she 
patted  the  old  man's  cheek. 


"  Why,  who  is  this  ?  who  is  this  ?"  he  asked, 
peering  into  Kitty's  face.     He  had  rosy  cheeks, 


88  I>0  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

gentle  eyes  full  of  a  gay  liglit,  and  liis  lips 
trembled  as  if  ready  to  break  out  into  smiles 
and  laughter. 

"  No,  no ;  that  is  not  a  naughty  child.  Daddy 
Coax  knows  better  than  that." 

He  shook  his  head  so  violently,  to  show  he 
knew  Avhat  he  Avas  saying,  that  his  wig  went 
first  on  one  side,  then  on  the  other,  and  at  last 
it  tumbled  right  over  his  eyebrows.  He  did 
not  seem  to  mind  how  his  wig  'went.  Kitty 
thought  it  looked  like  a  thatched  roof. 

"  Then  you  are  Daddy  Coax  !"  she  said. 

"  To  l)e  sure  I  am,  honey !  To  be  sure  !" 
the  old  man  ans\vered,  laughing,  and  the 
laugh  was  so  joyous  that  it  set  Kitty  laughing 
also. 

"They  call  me  Daddy  Coax  because  I  pat 
tlie  children's  heads  A\hen  they  are  sobbing, 
and  l)ecause  I  keep  school  with  toys  and 
s^veets  and  stories  instead  of  lessons."  He 
took  out  his  snuif-l)ox  and  took  a  pinch  ;  then 
he  sneezed  and  sneezed  till  his  head  sank 
upon  his  chest,  and  his  wig  came  right  over 
his  eyes. 


DADDY  COAX. 


m 


"  Oil, -dear  !  oh,  dear  !  Those  children  have 
put  pepper  into  my  snuff-box  !"  He  laughed  ; 
nothing  seemed  to  put  out  Daddy  Coax. 

"  I  wonder  you  live  with  them  !"  said  Kitty. 


"  I  used  to  live  in  Good  Children  Land,"  he 
answered,  pushing  back  his  Avig  and  setting  it 
all  a^vry ;  '•'■  I  was  happy  there  ;  but  you  see  I 
could  not  bear  the  thonght  of  tlie  naughty 
children.  They  must  be  so  miserable.  So  I 
made  up  my  mind  to  come  and  li\'e  among 
them,  and  an histle  SA\eet  tunes  to  them,  and  tell 


90  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

them  pretty  stoires  that  would  put  beautiful 
dreams  into  their  hearts,  and  give  them  toys. 
Bribe  the  little  darlings  to  be  good." 

"  They  are  not  very  good  to  you,"  said  Kitty, 
looking  at  his  tattered  coat. 

"  No  ;  I  am  often  a  mass  of  misery  and  rags," 
said  the  old  man ;  and  as  he  looked  at  her  a 
moist  brightness  like  tears  came  into  his  eyes. 
He  showed  the  skirts  of  his  coat-tails  all  torn, 
his  pockets  ragged,  his  hands  scratched.  "  I 
sometimes  think  I'll  go  back  to  Good  Children 
Land,"  he  continued.  "  Then  I  say  they  don't 
want  me  there  so  much  as  they  do  here.  So 
here  I  remain,  and  I  don't  mind  being  scratched 
and  pulled  about,  if  only  I  keep  one  child  out 
of  Punishment  Land." 

"  Punishment  Land  !"  said  Kitty.  "  What  is 
that  ?" 

"  Oh,  it  is  a  dreadful  place  !"  said  Daddy 
Coax,  shaking  his  head  till  his  wig  slipped 
right  off,  and  then  he  gave  it  a  pull  over  to  his 
right  eyebrow.  "  I  long  to  keep  the  children 
out  of  it.  The  little  dears,  I  am  sometimes 
afraid  of  them,  ^vhen   they   are  getting  angry. 


DADDY  COAX.  91 

and  going  to  have  a  cry.  They  tell  me  I  spoil 
them,  and  somehow  the  children  don't  love  me 
as  I  love  them ;  but  I  have  not  the  heart  to  see 
a  dear  little  thing  pnnished — not  if  it  tears  my 
coat-tails.  Oh  !  I  don't  know  why  they  won't 
love  me.  They  say  the  little  dears  won't  respect 
me,  and  they  say  a  dreadf  nl  thing,  that  one  may 
be  unjust  by  kindness  as  well  as  by  severity. 
It  often  makes  me  sad."  Then  he  gave  a  little 
chirruping  laugh. 

"  Ah  !  it  makes  me  happy  to  coax  the  little 
dears  out  of  their  tantrums  and  their  passions. 
There  is  great  virtue  in  a  big  burnt-almond,  my 
honey  !     Have  one  !" 

He  took  out  a  transparent  amber  box  full  of 
bon-bons,  and  opened  it. 

"  I  think  I  had  Ijetter  wait  till  I  am  naughty 
to  have  one,"  laughed  Kitty.  The  old  man 
laughed  also,  as  if  Kitty's  joke  delighted  him. 

"  Come  and  see  Daddy  Coax's  school-room," 
he  said,  getting  up. 

Kitty  put  her  hand  int(^  his  little  plump  old 
hand,  and  they  A\'ent  indoors.  The  room  was 
full  of  children. 


93  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  ST  A  IRS. 

It  was  not  like  a  scliool-room,  nor  like  a  play- 
room either.  It  was  more  like  (jiiarreling-room, 
screaming-room,  soblnng-room. 

AVhere  tlie  cliildren's  hands  could  reach  the 
room  was  spoiled  and  disordered ;  but  above 
that  it  was  as  pretty  as  a  room  in  a  fairy  tale, 
or  as  a  Christmas-tree  turned  into  a  room. 
Bright  balls  shone  there,  some  of  silver,  some 
of  glass,  rainbow-colored,  like  solidified  soap- 
bubbles.  There  A\ere  bags  of  sweets,  toys, 
flags  in  every  corner.  Wonderful  shells,  with 
golden  ears,  strange  seaweed,  and  branching 
coral ;  flowers  bloomed  high  up  in  the  Avin- 
dows,  and  far  out  of  the  children's  reach  in  a 
safe  place  hung  a  cage  full  of  l/irds.  There 
Avere  kaleidoscopes  and  musical  boxes  and  pic- 
tures on  the  walls. 

"  Little  angels  !  Hush — hush!  Look,  here's 
a'  little  friend  come  to  see  you,"  said  Daddy 
Coax,  in  a  voice  that  was  gay  and  soft  as  a 
l)ird  cliimiping  in  a  tree,  and  calling  to  its 
young  to  come  out  into  the  j)leasant  morning. 

Only  a  i'o;u"  of  confused  voices  answered. 
All  the  children  were  addressing  the  old  man 


DADD  r  COAX.  93 

— all^were  speaking  together ;  all  were  tr}dng 
to  talk  loudest ;  all  trying  to  talk  quickest ; 
all  telling  tales  of  each  other. 

"  Hush — hush  !"  said  Daddy  Coax,  putting 
up  his  finger.  "  Little  lambs  ought  to  be  good. 
Eh  !"  he  went  on,  patting  his  pocket  with  his 
disengaged  hand  in  a  suggestive  manner. 
"  Look — toys— sweets— all  for  my  little  dar- 
lings— a  fairing  for  each.  Hey  now  !"  and  he 
waved  his  hand  above  his  head,  '^  we'll  be  as 
merry  and  good  as  if  it  were  Christmas  Day, 
and  everybody's  birthday  together  besides." 

Perhaps  the  children  had  already  had  so 
many  sweets  and  good  things  that  they  did  not 
care  for  more.  Not  one  look  of  thanks  o-reeted 
the  old  man  gazing  down  upon  them  A\'ith  an 
anxious  smile  that  seemed  to  say :  "  Be  good, 
my  little  darlings.  My  heart  thinks  only  of 
making  you  good  by  making  you  happy." 

The  next  moment  there  was  a  grand  rush  of 
children  making  for  Daddy  Coax's  pockets,  with 
cries  of  ^'  I !  I !  I ! — me  !  me  !  me  !"  The  rush 
turned  to  a  battle  royal  between  tlie  children 
wdio  came  first  and  the  children  behind,  who 
were  hurrying  up. 


94  DOWN  THIS  SNOW  STAIRS. 

"  Hush  !  liusli !  naughty  to  quarrel !"  said 
Daddy  Coax,  feebly  trying  to  make  his  way 
through  the  combatants,  dealing  loving  strokes 
on  rough  heads,  and  uttering  tender  re})roaches 
in  a  cooing  voice.  "  Let  me  get  to  my  arm- 
chair and  we'll  have  a  distribution  of  treasures. 
Hullo  !"  he  exclaimed,  bending  over  a  roaring 
boy  and  patting  him  gently  on  tlie  back.  "  Poor 
laddie — Daddy  Coax's  laddie — and  he  has  been 
hurt — he  has — " 

"  No^ — o — o,"  roared  the  ])oy  louder,  and 
kick — kick — kick  went  his  angry  feet.  "  I  am 
not  hurt.     I  am — in  a  fu — u — ry  !" 

"  A  fury  !  Oli  !  oh  !  nauglity,"  said  Daddy 
Coax,  shaking  his  liead  till  his  wig  was  all  in 
a  flurry  of  reproacli. 

"  I  wanted  to  see — what — made  my  tin  frog 
— hop — and  I  })roke — tlie  8})ring.  It  won't  hop 
any — more,"  roared  tlie  boy,  and  kick  went  his 
feet,  trying  to  kick  Daddy  Coax's  shins  becjiuse 
they  were  the  nearest  things  to  kick. 

Daddy  Coax  l)egan  to  fumble  in  his  })ocket, 
and  as  he  finnbled,  louder  grew  the  roarer's 
shouts;  but  he  opened  slitsof  eyes  to  see  what 
Daddy  Coax  was  searching  for. 


DADDY  COAX. 


95 


Out  came  the   amber  box,  and  out  of  it  a 
crisp  sugary  almond. 


"Tliere,    that    will    sweeten   tlie   fury,"  said 
Daddy  Coax,  chuckling  over  his  little  joke. 


96  DOWN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

Tlie  cruncliing  of  the  almond  softened  tlie 
screams,  and  Daddy  Coax  winked  at  Kitty. 

"  Did  I  not  tell  you,  honey,  there  was  virtue 
in  a  sweet  ?"  he  said,  gleefully  rubbing  his 
hands. 

"  I  believe  more  in  a  whipping,"  replied 
Kitty  with  a  gleam  in  her  eyes. 

Daddy  Coax  now  made  his  way  to  a  corner 
of  the  room  where  stood  a  tiny  bed.  As  he 
bent  over  the  child  lying  there,  murmuring 
"Poor  little  sick  lamb,"  his  kind,  foolish  eyes 
grew  brightly  pitying. 

"  I  won't  take  my  medicine,"  said  the  invalid, 
shaking  a  resolute  head  on  the  pillow. 

"  Medicine  ^vill  make  Daddy  Coax's  sick  lamb 
})lay  again,"  said  the  old  man.  lie  took  up  a 
powder  and  spoon,  and  after  he  had  mixed  the 
dose,  "  (Jood  medicine  iirst  and  jam  after,"  he 
said  in  a  persuasive  voice,  softly  trying  to  get 
the  ti})  of  the  spoon  inside  the  iinnly  closed 
lips. 

Out  flashed  a  naughty  hand  from  under  the 
coverlid,  and  away  spun  the  medicine  and  the 
spoon  to  the  furthest  corner  of  the  room. 


DADDY  COAX.  97 

"  Qh,  naughty  !  naughty  !"  said  poor  Daddy 
Coax,  putting  up  his  finger  and  trying  to  ruffle 
his  forehead  into  a  frown.  "  If  sick  lamb  be 
naughty,  sick  lamb  will  have  no  jam." 

At  this  dreadful  threat  the  sick  face  puck- 
ered itself  up,  and  out  of  the  wide-open  mouth 
came  a  doleful  howl. 

Daddy  Coax  fell  into  a  dreadful  flurry ;  his 
mild  eyes  grew  full  of  pain.  He  took  the  child 
out  of  its  crib,  rocked  it  soothingly  in  his  arms, 
murmuring  softly : 

"■  Sick  lamb  shall  have  all  jam  and  no  medi- 
cine.    All  good  jam  and  no  naughty  medicine." 

'^All  go — 00 — od  ja — am  and  no  naugh — ty 
medi — cine,"  agreed  the  sick  child  with  big 
sobs. 

Gently  Daddy  Coax  put  the  invalid  back 
into  its  crib,  went  to  the  cupboard,  and  took 
out  the  pot  of  raspberry  jam.  He  looked 
over  his  shoulder  to  make  sure  the  child  was 
not  looking,  and  cautiously  Kitty  saw  him 
drop  the  powder  into  the  jelly  and  turn  it 
round  and  round  until  not  a  grain  was  to  be 
seen. 


98 


DOWJ^  THE  SNOW  STAIES. 


"  Good  jam !"  he   said,  smacking    his   lips. 
"  Good  jam  !" 

"  Good  jam  !"  assented  the  sick  child,  open- 


ing wide  its  mouth  and  smacking  its  lips  louder 
still. 

"  It  was  to  make  her  take  the  medicine,"  ex- 


DADDY  COAX.  99 

plained  Daddy  Coax  apologetically  to  Kitty. 
"  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  a  sick  cliild  cry.  It  is 
sickness  makes  tlie  little  angel  cross." 

"  Little  angel  indeed  !"  replied  Kitty  shortly. 
"  I  would  have  given  her  all  medicine  and  no 
jam." 

Kitty  was  growing  severer  and  severer. 
Holding  her  hand  the  old  man  trotted  along 
once  more,  struo-o-lino;  throiig-h  the  children,  who 
had  recovered  their  good-humor,  and  were 
rushing  around  him.  He  laughed  feebly,  he 
j)atted  their  heads  as  they  thumped  him  on  the 
back  as  if  he  were  a  drum,  and  squirted  soap- 
suds into  his  eyes.  Poor  Daddy  Coax  wiped 
his  eyes,  sneezed,  tried  to  look  as  if  he  enjoyed 
the  jokes  and  the  drummings,  and  presently 
nearly  stumljled  over  a  little  girl  who  was 
knockino;  her  doll's  head  asrainst  the  floor. 

Bang  !  bang  !  the  tiny  hand  struck  the  ground 
with  the  doll.  Its  nose  was  flattened  out  of 
all  likeness  to  a  nose,  its  cheeks  were  cracked, 
and  its  hair  torn  out. 

"  Dear  !  dear  !"  cried  Daddy  Coax.  "  What 
has  naughty  dolly  done  ?" 


100 


DOWN  THE  8JV0W  STAIRS. 


"  She  won't  get  into  her  fock.     She  will  put 
her  leg  into  the  seeve  of  her  fock  instead  of  her 


arm,"  explained  little  spitfire ;  and  bang  !  once 
more  went  poor  dolly's  face  against  the  floor. 
"Nauglity  dolly!  naughty  dolly!"  cried 
T)a(hly  Coax  indignantly,  flicking  dolly  with  a 
corner  of  his  handkerchief  and  then  drawing  a 


DADDT  COAX.  101 

fine  new  doll  from  Ms  pocket,  witli  red  clieeks 
and  shining  round  eyes.  "There's  a  good  dol- 
ly, a  pretty  dolly,  with  its  arms  in  its  sleeves." 

But  little  spitfire  only  snorted  at  sight  of  the 
new  dolly,  pushed  away  the  gentle  hand  that 
ofi:ered  it,  and  went  on  banging  the  old  doll 
upon  the  floor. 

Nothing  that  Daddy  Coax  could  do  would 
please  the  "  little  angels,"  as  he  called  them. 

"  Little  angels  indeed  !"  thought  Kitty  severe- 
ly.    "  They  are  little  imps." 

One  little  girl  tumbled  on  her  nose  as  she 
was  hastening  along ;  she  picked  herself  up, 
and  was  giving  her  plump  small  figure  a  shake, 
when  Daddy  Coax,  with  a  cry  and  extended 
arms,  rushed  toward  her,  dropping  a  slipper  in 
his  haste.  At  sight  of  this  offer  of  sympathy 
the  child  lifted  her  voice  and  howled  bitterly. 

"  Oh,  the  darling  lamb  !"  cried  Daddy  Coax, 
taking  her  into  his  arms.  "  Is  she  hurt — where 
is  she  hurt  "i  Show  her  old  Daddy  where  she 
is  hurt  V 

"  Ded — fill — ly  hurt  on  this  knee  !"  sobbed 
the  little  one,  pulling  up  her  frock  and  display- 


103  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

ing  a  plump  rosy  knee  without  a  scratch. 
"No!  it's  a  mistake — it's  on  this  one,"  she 
explained  with  l)itterer  sobs,  shoAving  the  other 
knee,  that  Avas  as  unbruised  and  unscratched  as 
its  fello\v\ 

''Yes,  it's  a  mistake,"  chirped  Daddy  Coax 
joyously,  clasping  the  little  one  nearer, 

"  It — 's  not — a — mistake — it's  my  no — o — 
ose,"  roared  the  child  in  a  deluge  of  tears,  slap- 
ping the  kind  old  man's  cheek,  and  struggling 
out  of  his  arms. 

"Daddy  Coax's  school  should  be  called  the 
place  where  chihlren  ai'c  taug]it  tobe  naughty," 
Kitty  remarked  to  lierself. 

At  hist  Daddy  Coax  struggled  up  to  the  mid- 
dle of  the  room.  lie  set  Kitt>'  standing  on  the 
talde,  and  h)oked  round  on  the  chihlren  \\itli 
liis  mild,  kind,  foolish  eyes.  '^J'liere  Avas  some 
thing  almost  like  silence  for  a  moment ;  a  crowd 
of  small  faces  gazed  at  Kitty,  who  had  never 
before  felt  so  many  eyes  tixed  upon  her. 

"When  a  fi'iend  comes  to  see  one,"  said 
Daddy  Coax  cheerily,  "what  ought  Ave  to  do? 
We    ought   to   make   it  pleasant,  for  a  friend's 


BADDY  COAX.  103 

visit  s  is  better  tlian  cakes  and  sugar-plums. 
This  little  girl — bless  lier — is  a  dear,  good 
little  girl !" 

"  We  don't  want  her,  then  !"  shouted  a  voice. 
And  all  the  children  shouted  :  "  We  don't  want 
her  !  we  don't  want  her  !" 

"  Hush  !  hush  !  naughty  !"  said  Daddy  Coax, 
putting  up  his  finger  and  trying  to  frown. 
"  Little  children  are  always  good.  They  are 
little  angels." 

"  That's  not  true.  We  are  not  good,  and  we 
don't  want  to  be  !"  shouted  these  spoiled  chil- 
dren. 

Daddy  Coax  stood  looking  round  upon  them 
with  a  puzzled,  helpless,  piteous  expression  and 
trembling  lips,  then  he  burst  into  his  merry 
laugh  and  said  to  Kitty,  "  There's  no  flattering 
them." 

Taking  out  of  his  pocket  liis  box  of  sugar- 
plums, "  Look,  look  !"  he  went  on.  ^'  In  honor 
of  our  guest  I  shall  give  you  a  comfit  apiece." 

"  Shall  we  tell  her  the  stories  of  the  pictures 
round  the  room  ?"  asked  Daddy  Coax  after  the 
distribution  of  lollipops,  as  the  children  were 
smacking  their  lips  and  staring  at  Kitty. 


104  DO  WN  TEE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

"  No  !"  they  cried  with  a  sucking  sound. 

"  No  !  But  she  has  not  seen  the  pictures 
yet,"  gently  insisted  Daddy  Coax.  He  pointed 
to  one  with  his  softly  shaking  finger.  Kitty 
thought  she  had  seen  that  picture  before.  It 
was  that  of  a  little  girl  sitting  alone  under  the 
shadow  of  a  great  wood,  her  hands  crossed  upon 
her  breast. 

"  She  is  so  good,  she  is  so  innocent — bless 
her  !  The  picture  is  called  after  her  the  '  Age 
of  Innocence,' "  said  Daddy  Coax.  "  All  nature 
seems  to  love  her.  Slie  thinks  as  slie  goes  out 
that  the  trees  look  at  lier,  and  the  birds  come 
and  sing  to  her  in  the  early  morning.  The 
flowers  tell  her  what  hour  it  is  and  what  the 
weather  will  be.  No  animal  or  insect  is  afraid 
of  her.  As  she  goes  out  round  her  head  hovers 
a  little  cloud  of  butterflies.  She  looks  about 
her  and  wonders.  The  flocks  of  birds  passing 
away  over  her  head  to  the  north  pole  actually 
seem  to  come  doAvn  as  she  looks  at  them. 
Lovely  tilings  with  the  sunshine  upon  tlieir 
backs — " 

"  That's  a  dull  story  !"  cried  a  boy's  voice. 


DADDY  COAX.  105 

"  Dull  story  !" 

"■  Dull  story  !"  went  round  all  the  room. 

"  Shall  we  tell  her  the  story  of  the  kind 
child,  who  gives  her  bit  of  cake  to  the  hungry 
child,  who  is  gentle  also  with  the  sick  and  the 
old,  and  how  the  pretty  robin  lights  upon  her 
wrist,  and  its  little  whistle  seems  to  say,  '  I 
love  you — I  love  you'  l  " 

"  Play  the  flute  !"  interrupted  the  same  boy's 
voice, 

"  Yes,  the  flute  !  the  flute  !"  echoed  the  chil- 
dren in  a  chorus. 

"  They  always  like  my  flute,"  Daddy  Coax 
whispered  to  Kitty  with  a  pleased  wink.  "  I 
don't  take  it  out  often — for  next  to  the  children 
I  love  my  flute." 

He  drew  from  his  breast-pocket  a  flute  with 
keys  of  ivory  and  wiped  it  softly  on  his  coat- 
sleeve.  ''I'll  play  the  lullaby  of  the  wind  to 
the  good  children.  Tlie  words  and  the  music 
came  into  my  head  last  night  as  the  wind  rattled 
against  my  window-panes.  Listen,  I'll  sing 
you  the  words  first — that  is,  what  the  wind 
says  through  the  flute  to  the  good  children." 


106  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

Nodding  his  head  on  one  side,  with  one 
finger  up,  swaying  it  softly  to  the  measure,  in  a 
thin  cracked  voice  Daddy  Coax  hummed  : 

"  When  all  the  world  is  blind  with  sleep 
And  birds  are  silent  in  the  trees. 
Around  the  house  I  whisp'ring  creep 
And  rustle  in  a  rising  breeze. 
To  make  the  music  of  your  dreams 
With  twittling  leaves  and  purling  streams. 

"  But  I  can  rise  and  I  can  roar, 
Can  hurl  great  waves  upon  the  shore. 
Bring  shoals  of  buds  and  blossoms  down. 
And  blow  the  country  into  town; 
Can  tear  an  oak  tree  from  its  root. 
Or  throstle  through  a  fairy  flute." 

"  That's  enough  !  enough  !"  cried  the  children ; 
but  Daddy  Coax  went  on,  marking  the  time 
with  his  finger  and  his  head : 

"  I  like  to  twist  the  creaking  cowl 
And  rock  the  rooks  and  oust  the  owl. 
And  pringle-prangle  through  the  wires 
Of  telegraphs — and  blow  up  fires 
For  smiths  and  farriers,  sturdy  fellows. 
Who  catch  and  send  me  through  the  bellows." 


DADD  Y  COAX.  107 

"Play  the  flute  !  the  flute  !"  cried  the  chil- 
dren. 

But  Daddy  Coax  raised  his  uplifted  finger 
and  marked  the  measure  more  impressively : 

"  But  I  can  sing  and  whisper  low 
To  those  I  love  and  those  I  know. 
Till  they  may  close  their  dreamy  eyes 
And  think  of  being  good  and  wise. 
So  now  let  every  one  sit  still 
And  listen " 

"  No — no — no  !"  interrupted  a  roar  of  voices. 
"  Play  the  flute  !— the  flute  !" 

Daddy  Coax  laughed,  gave  his  wig  a  pull, 
and  put  the  flute  to  his  lips.  He  drew  out  a 
note — long,  piercing,  and  sweet,  Tlie  children 
paused  to  listen.  Daddy  Coax  swayed  softly 
backward  and  forward ;  his  eyes  ^vere  half- 
closed,  his  wig  shoved  over  his  left  eyebrow ; 
he  tapped  with  his  toe,  which  went  up  and 
down  to  the  tune.  It  was  a  pretty,  tender 
melody  that  seemed  to  ^vind  in  and  out.  The 
children  were  (piite  silent  listening.  Some- 
thing in  Kitty's  heart  that  she  had  forgotten 
stirred  there — it  ^vas  memory  waking — that  of 


108  -DO  WW  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

her  mother's  voice  speaking  to  her  as  in  a  dream. 
She  had  forgotten  where  she  was,  when,  she 
was  suddenly  roused  by  a  great  noise. 

The  chihlren  were  surrounding  Daddy  Coax, 
pulling  his  arms,  claml)ering  up  his  back,  get- 
ting around  his  legs  to  pull  him  down,  as  they 
shouted,  "  Give  us  the  flute  ! — give  us  the 
flute !" 

But  he  held  the  flute  out  of  their  reach, 
shaking  his  head  and  saying : 

"  No,  no,  the  little  dears  would  break  it.  It 
is  like  a  pretty  l)ird ;  if  you  break  it,  }ou  kill  it. 
When  it  is  dead,  it  will  sins^;  no  more." 

But  the  children  continued  to  pull,  to  clam- 
ber, and  to  clamor. 

"You  naughty  children,  to  hurt  the  kind  old 
man  !"  cried  Kitt}',  jumj)ing  down  from  the 
table  and  coming  to  the  rescue  of  Daddy  Coax. 
Her  efforts  to  protect  him  wei'e  of  no  avail. 
The  next  moment  the  children  tripped  him  up. 
He  fell  down  flat  on  tlie  ground,  and  the  flute 
was  snatched  from  liis  liand.  Tliere  was  a  loud 
laugh — sliouts  of  hui'rah.  Tlien  Kitty  saw  two 
boys  fighting  over  tlie  flute,  and  snap — it  broke 
in  their  hands. 


The  Fight  for  the  Flute.— Page  108. 


DADIJT  COAX.  109 

AlLat  once  the  noise  was  interrupted,  there 
came  a  scamper  round  and  round  the  room. 
The  two  stern  women  stood  there  among  the 
children.  How  they  entered — by  the  door,  or 
through  the  floor,  or  in  by  the  windoAVS,  or 
down  by  the  chimney — Kitty  could  not  tell. 
There  they  were,  pouncing  upon  the  children, 
who  were  vainly  dodging  to  escape  them. 

Daddy  Coax  struggled  to  his  feet,  battered, 
bruised,  and  in  rags. 

"  Don't  take  the  little  darlings  to  Punishment 
Land,"  he  said  with  his  whole  heart  in  his 
voice.  "  Poor  little  angels,  they  did  not  mean 
it.  They  did  not  know  how  Daddy  Coax  loved 
his  flute."  He  put  up  his  hand  and  wiped  away 
a  tear. 

"  Daddy  Coax,  if  you  did  not  spoil  the  chil- 
dren you  would  spare  them  many  a  punish- 
ment," said  one  of  the  stern  women,  stopping 
upon  the  threshold  and  turning  round  to  speak. 
She  had  a  load  of  children  tucked  under  each 
arm.  They  might  kick  as  much  as  they  liked ; 
it  did  not  trouble  her.  She  held  them  tight  as 
a  vise. 


110  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  8TA  IRS. 

"  It  was  their  fun.  Indeed  I  liked  it,"  said 
Daddy  Coax  apologetically. 

"Don't  put  your  foot  into  Punisliment 
Land,"  continued  the  stern  woman.  "Once 
you  were  allowed  in,  and  you  nearly  ruined 
the  place.  Take  my  word  for  it.  Daddy  Coax, 
you  are  a  goose,  and  the  children  know  it.  As 
for  you,"  she  went  on,  addressing  Kitty,  "  you 
had  better  run  away,  or  you  \vdll  be  spoiled 
too." 

"  Well,  she  is  severe,"  thought  Kitty ;  "  but 
she  is  right." 

She  watched  the  old  woman  with  the  load 
of  cliildren  under  each  arm  striding  down  a 
long  road  that  led  away  from  Daddy  Coax's 
door, 

"  That  must  be  the  way  to  Punishment 
Land.  Oli  !  I  should  like  to  see  that  land  !" 
cried  Kitty. 

Daddy  Coax,  bruised,  tattered,  looking  as  if 
he  liad  just  come  out  of  a  dreadful  railway 
accident,  was  picking  up,  with  ti'eml>ling  hands, 
the  fragments  of  liis  ])r(>ken  fiute.  Kitty  ran 
to  him,  helped  him  in  his  search  ;  then  led  him 


DADDT  COAX. 


Ill 


gently,  back  to  his  chair,  threw  her  arms  round 
his  neck,  and  gave  him  a  kiss. 

"  Good-by,  dear  Daddy  Coax,  I  am  going  to 
Punishment  Land — just  for  a  peep." 

She  heard  him  give  an  exclamation  of  remon- 
strance ;  but  she  would  not  stop  to  listen.  She 
ran  out  into  the  road. 


113  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STATES. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ON    THE    OTHER    SIDE    OF   THE    STREAM. 

As  Kitty  darted  out  of  the  door  she  could 
see  the  old  woman  going  on  with  her  burden  of 
kicking  children  tucked  under  each  arm.  It 
was  by  no  means  easy  to  follow  her  tall,  bony, 
wiry  figure,  for  she  went  at  a  great  pace,  as 
though  she  had  a  very  important  duty  to  do, 
and  meant  to  do  it.  The  children  might  kick 
their  shoes  off,  but  on  she  went.  She  was 
never  very  distinct,  yet  she  never  entirely 
vanished.  The  road  was  long  and  straight ; 
over  it  himg  a  mist  that  seemed  to  be  getting 
deeper  and  thicker.  Kitty  ran  along,  her  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  old  woman's  back ;  but  she 
stalked  on  so  fast  there  was  no  catching  her 
up.  At  once  she  vanished.  Tlie  country 
ai'ound  was  gray  and  dreary,  not  a  tree,  not  a 
house    anywhere,  nothing  but  a  gray  marshy- 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  STREAM.        113 

looking  j)lain.  A  little  stream  gurgled  along, 
not  with  a  liappy  murmur  as  if  it  were  telling 
joyous  secrets  to  itself ;  but  glug — glug,  as  if 
it  were  sobbing  in  tlie  dimness.  Kitty  jumped 
over  tlie  stream  and  cleared  it  at  a  leap.  A 
few  froo-s  croaked.  What  mth  the  "  croak — 
croak "  of  the  frogs,  and  the  sob — sob  of  the 
water,  it  was  (piite  enough  to  make  any  one 
weep. 

Kitty  had  been  running  so  fast  that  she  could 
not  stop  herself,  or  perhaps  she  would  not  liave 
been  in  such  a  hurry  to  cross  that  doleful 
stream. 

No  sooner  she  had  bounded  over  to  the  other 
side  than  a  grim  ^voman  stood  before  her.  She 
appeared  so  suddenly  that  Kitty  gave  a  start 
and  stopped  I'unning.  AYas  it  a  real  woman  ? 
Was  it  tlie  fog  that  had  taken  this  shape? 
Kitty  coidd  see  distinctly  a  face  peering  out  of 
the  mist,  surrounded  by  gray  hair  and  a  high 
mob-cap.  Perhaps  this  was  owing  to  her  atten- 
tion being  fixed  u})on  the  large  pair  of  spec- 
tacles astride  the  hooked  nose. 

In    all   her  life  Kitty  had  never  seen  such 


114 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


spectacles.      They    shone   with  extraordinary 

effect  through 
the  dimness,  as 
if  they  focused 
all  the  liii-lit  of 
the  place,  and  it 
was  impossi])le 
to  see  the  old 
woman's  eyes  he- 
hind  them.  No, 
never  had  Kitty 
seen  anything  so 
p  i  e  r  c  i  n  g ,  so 
sear  c  li  i  n  g  as 
those  spectacles  ! 
AVHien  they  fixed 
their  gaze  upon 
her  she  had  an 
u  n  c  o  mfortahle 
feeling  that  she 
Avas  transparent 
like     the     glass 

jars  in   the  chemist''s  shop,  and    that   the  eyes 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  STREAM.        115 

behindxthe  spectacles  were  seeing  lier  tlirougli 
and  througli,  right  to  tlie  other  side  of  her. 

"  Who  are  you  V  asked  the  mouth  l)elonging 
to  the  spectacles,  in  a  business-like  tone,  "I 
hate  wasting  time  asking  (piestions.  My  spec- 
tacles usually  spare  me  that  trouble.  But  I 
can't  make  you  out.     AVho  brought  you  here  ?" 

"Nobody  brought  me  here — that  is,  nol)ody 
except  myself,"  explained  Kitty,  avIio  felt  im- 
pelled to  Ije  very  accurate  under  the  inspection 
of  those  shining  glassy  eyes. 

"  Humph  !  Now  that  you  have  brought  your- 
self here,  what  punishment  have  you  come  for  ?" 

"  Indeed,"  replied  Kitty  eagerly,  "  I  do  not 
want  any  punishment — on  no  account." 

"  Not  want  a  punishment,  and  yet  you  come 
to  Punishment  Land  !"  repeated  the  old  woman, 
with  a  smile  curling  up  the  corners  of  her  lips. 
It  was  not  a  pleasant  smile.  It  made  Kitty  feel 
a  little  creepy.  "You  might  as  well  say," 
continued  the  mouth  belonging  to  the  spec- 
tacles, "  that  you  knock  at  a  doctor's  door,  and 
don't  want  medicine." 

"  Perhaps  I  had   better  go  back,"  said  Kitty 


116  T)0  WN  THE  SNO  W  STA  IRS. 

hurriedly,  for  she  did  not  like  the  tone  of  the 
conversation. 

She  looked  round,  but  she  perceived  that  the 
fog  had  risen  and  formed  thick  walls  all  round 
the  place.     She  was  in  a  prison  of  fog. 

"  But  you  see  you  can't  go  back,"  remarked 
the  old  woman.  "  Here  you  are,  and  here  you 
must  stay.  May  I  ask,"  she  continued,  fixing 
the  full  glare  of  her  glasses  upon  Kitty,  "  if  you 
did  not  come  to  be  punished,  ^\']lat  did  you 
come  for?  Come,  y(m  had  better  have  a  whip- 
ping; it  will  do  you  good  anyhow." 

"  I  came,"  said  Kitty,  ignoring  the  last  sug- 
gestion, and  feeling  ashamed  of  the  reason  slie 
was  going  to  give,  ''  I  came  to  see  the  naugh- 
tiest child,  and  to  see  how  it  was  punislied." 

The  old  woman  smiled  soui'ly.  It  was 
certainly  a  most  unpleasant  smile.  It  curled 
up  and  up,  until  it  seemed  to  curl  up  into 
lier  ears.  Kitty  felt  a  cold  shiver  go  down  her 
l)ack. 

"You're  all  right  for  that,"  answered  the  old 
woman  cheerily;  "walk  on;  you'll  find  the 
naughtiest  child  here." 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  STREAM.        117 

Slies  disappeared  as  she  said  this  ;  but  the 
next  moment  she  popped  her  head  out  of  the 
fog  again.  "  Good-by,  Miss  Curiosity.  I 
hope  you'll  enjoy  what  you're  going  to  see. 
Curious  little  girls  don't  always  enjoy  what 
they  find  out." 

Her  spectacles  flashed  as  if  they  were  laugh- 
ing, and  once  more  she  disappeared. 

"  Miss  Curiosity  indeed  !"  said  Kitty,  tossing 
back  her  head. 

She  walked  along  with  her  cheeks  on  fire. 
Perhaps  the  mist  had  cleared  away,  or  her  eyes 
were  growing  accustomed  to  tlie  grayness,  for 
she  could  see  about  her.  She  was  in  a  wild, 
flat  field,  utterly  lonely  and  loveless,  witliout  a 
blade  of  grass  or  a  flo^ver,  nothing  but  thistles 
and  thorns.  It  stretched  far  away,  solitary  and 
pathless. 

"  I  wish  I  had  not  come,"  muttered  Kitty, 
feeling  frightened  at  the  solitude.  Then  slie 
thought  she  would  go  back  to  tlie  old  woman 
with  the  spectacles.  She  was  not  pleasant,  but 
she  was  company.  Xo  glimpse  of  the  old 
woman  could  she  catch.     She  was  alone  in  the 


118  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

lonely  plain.  Alone  !  and  yet  Kitty  fancied 
some  one  was  near  her — some  one  ({nite  near, 
that  she  could  not  see  or  hear.  But  who  was 
there  behind  the  fog  ? 

"  AVhy  did  I  come  ?  Oh  !  why  did  I  come  ?" 
she  asked  herself,  trying  to  remember  why  she 
had  set  out  on  this  foolish  (juest.  "  I  am  curi- 
ous !  oh  !  I  am  curious  !" 

The  tears  filled  her  eyes  and  trickled  down 
her  cheeks  when  she  said  this,  with  a  sudden 
feeling  of  humiliation  in  her  little  heart.  As 
she  stood  there  crying  and  looking  al)out  lier, 
not  knowing  what  to  do,  she  saAV  some  one 
coming  toward  her.  A  lady  all  dressed  in 
white,  whose  pure  robe  trailed  on  the  ground. 
For  a  moment  Kitty's  lieart  gave  a  great  bound, 
for  she  tliouglit  it  was  her  motlier.  Then  she 
saw  the  lady  was  a  stranger;  tliat  she  had  a 
l)eautiful  face,  sad  and  majestic. 

As  Kitty  wondered  who  she  was,  the  stranger 
drew  near.  "  A\lio  are  you  ?  Wliy  have  you 
come  to  this  sad  })lace  V  she  said,  looking  at 
Kitt}'  ^vith  eyes  so  tender  and  penetrating  that 
Kitty  felt  as  if  their  light  were  sinking  into 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  STREAM.        119 


I 


her  little  lieart,  reading    all   its  secrets.     The 

pale  lady  could 

see  as   deep   as 

the  old  woman 

with  the  flashing 

spectacles. 

"  I  came,"  an- 
swered Kitty, 
hanging  her 
head,  "  because 
I  wanted  to  see 
the  naughtiest 
child." 

"  The  naugh- 
tiest  child! 
That  was  a 
dreadful  wish  !" 
said  the  fair 
lady,  and  she 
sighed. 

It  seemed  to 
Kitty  that  the 
sigh  was  repeat- 
ed   all     around 


120  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

and  about  her,  as  if  a  thousand  sighs  caught  it 
up  and  echoed  it  behind  the  mist. 

"  Come,"  said  the  white  lady,  "  you  shall  have 
your  wish." 

She  led  the  way  and  Kitty  followed ;  and  it 
seemed  to  Kitty,  as  her  guide's  fair  robes  trailed 
on  the  barren  loveless  ground  that  a  track  of 
flowers  bloomed  for  a  moment  as  slie  passed, 
and  that  fruit  appeared  among  the  thorns  and 
brambles. 

Kitty  wondered  more  and  more  who  this 
pale  lady  could  be. 

"  AVhat  is  your  name  ?"  she  asked  at  last, 
looking  up  into  her  face. 

"  My  name  is  Love,"  the  pale  lady  replied. 

"  Love !"  rej^eated  Kitty  in  the  greatest 
astonishment.  "  Love  in  Punishment  liand, 
\vliere  there  are  wliippings  and  puttings  to 
bed  !'' 

Tlie  pale  lady  smiled  ;  her  eyes  were  like  the 
stars  tliat  k^'cp  tlieir  patient  watch  at  night 
over  tlie  earth. 

"  Tlie}-  are  not  children  Avliipped  and  put  to 
l)ed  earl}-,  and  kept  at  lessons,  that  I  shall  show 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  STREET.        121 

you.  ,Yoii  have  a  little  soul,"  She  laid  her 
gentle  hand  on  Kitty's  shoulder.  "  Every  child 
has  a  little  soul,  and  here  you  will  see  what 
happens  to  that  soul  when  it  grows  sinful. 
Look  yonder."  She  pointed  to  the  w^all  of 
fog.  ''  There  the  souls  will  look  like  bodies, 
and  you  will  see." 


122  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 


CHAPTEK  VIII. 

PICTURES    IN    THE    FOG. 

Love  stretclied  her  fair  hand,  and  Kitty  could 
not  tell  if  the  fog  grew  transparent,  allowing 
her  to  see  what  it  had  hitherto  liidden,  or  if  a 
picture  painted  itself  thereupon. 

Her  eyes,  fixed  upon  the  dim  mist,  seemed 
to  open  wider  and  wider. 

She  saw  a  dreadful  thing.  An  immense  coh- 
welj,  and  in  it  a  child  was  caught.  A  big  black 
spider  was  weaving  its  thi'eads  around  the  cap- 
tive. Hand  and  foot  the  little  one  was  bound. 
Kitty  saw  the  chihTs  figui'e  distinctly ;  its 
pretty  hair  shone  through  the  web.  How  cun- 
ningly the  spider  had  entangled  it;  weaving 
and  knotting  its  gluey  thread  about  tlu^  round 
thi'oat,  tlie  bright  eyes,  across  the  rosv  li})S,  the 
tiny  ears,  hands,  and  feet.  The  child  did  not 
stii'  ;  it  remained  <]uiet  in  its  gray,  fihuy  prison. 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG. 


123 


But  there  were  other  children  in  the  fog,  some 
entangled  in  webs  almost  as  large  and  strong, 
while  others  had  but  a  silver  thread  or  two 
gleaming  about  their  necks  and  browns.  These 
played  merrily  about,  not  seeing  the  black  wary 
spider  watching  above   their  head,  and  every 


now  and  then  shooting  out,  spinning  and  knot- 
ting a  thread  about  them. 

"AVhat  is  that  dreadful  cobwel)  ?"  asked 
Kitty  in  a  whisper,  drawing  nearer  to  Love. 

"  Sj)eak  to  the  cliildren  ;  they  will  tell  you," 
replied  her  guide. 

But  Kitty  only  crept  closer  to  her,  and  drew 


124  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

the  fair  robes  around  lier,  peeping  fearfully  out 
from  her  hiding-place. 

"  I  will  explain,"  said  Love.  "  These  are  the 
children  who  tell  falsehoods.  Every  falsehood 
a  child  tells  its  spirit  gets  more  and  more  en- 
tangled in  a  web.  The  spider  shoots  a  thread 
around  it.  One  falsehood  leads  to  another,  so 
the  web  grows  and  gro^vs,  and  the  little  captive 
spirit  finds  it  harder  to  escape  from  its  wretch- 
edness and  misery." 

"  Can  they  never  break  away  ?"  asked  Kitty, 
drawing  a  breath  of  relief  as  the  f<\g-picture 
slowly  faded  and  the  mist  closed  over  it  like  a 
cui'tain. 

Love's  face  was  sad  and  its  nienniiii«:  difficult 
to  guess.  Before  she  coidd  answer  there  came 
a  sound  of  little  feet  thi'ough  tlie  fog,  a  faint 
tramp,  tramp.  Not  a  mci'ry  run  or  dance  ;  but 
as  if  restless,  invisible  little  feet  were  o-oinof 
I'oiind  and  I'ound,  l)ackwnrd  and  forward.  Then 
Kitty  saw  the  image  of  something  foi-ming 
itself  on  the  foir.  Round  and  round,  ziu^zaa;,  to 
the  right,  to  the  left,  rose  a  structure  with 
walls  made  of  thorns. 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG.  125 

"  Wliat  is  tliat  ?"  she  whispered. 

"  Do  you  know  what  a  labyrinth  is,  or  a 
maze  ?"  asked  Love. 

"  It  is  a  place  very  difficult  to  get  out  of," 
answered  Kitty ;  and  she  grew  quite  giddy 
looking  at  this  rolling,  crooked,  curving,  spin- 
ning-about,  straightening  place. 

Presently  she  saw  that  it  was  crowded 
with  children.  It  was  the  tramp  of  their  little 
feet  she  had  heard,  for  they  were  running,  run- 
ning. 

"  Why,  that  is  not  punishment,  that  is  play," 
said  Kitty,  astonished. 

"  Speak  to  them,"  answered  Love. 

Some  of  the  children  were  running  with  quite 
a  spirited  air,  as  if  they  were  enjoying  the  race  ; 
their  heads  were  uplifted,  their  chins  poked 
out ;  others  plodded  on  wearily  with  a  dogged 
expression,  while  some  looked  angry  and 
miserable ;  and  others  again  seemed  dazed 
and  wandered  foolishly  up  and  down,  going 
backward  and  forAvard  about  the  same  spot. 
Tramp,  tramp,  went  those  impetuous,  tired, 
foolish   feet.     Kitty  advanced  a  step  or  two, 


126 


DOWN  THE  HHOW  STAIRS. 


then  some  of  tlie  cliildren  trooped  up  toward 
tlie  spot  nearest  to  her.  "  We  want  to  get 
out !  We  want  to  get  out !"  tliey  said  in 
fretful  voices  that  sounded  a  h)ng  way  off  yet 
were  quite  distinct. ,  "  AYe  want  to  get  out ! 
We  want  to  get  Lack  to  Obedience  Path,"  they 


repeated,  h)oking  anxiously  at  Kitty,  as  if  they 
tlioiight  slic  might  show  tlieni  the  ^vay  out  of 
tliis  lal)yi-intli. 

Kitt)'  hnilvcd  cagci-ly  al)out  to  see  if  she  could 
help  them  to  find  the  right  path  ;  l)ut  eveiy 
})ath\v.-)y  was  so  turiiiug  aii<1  twisting,  so  crook- 
ed and  intricate,  that  it  made   hei'  giddy  to  try 


PICTURES  IN  THE  ¥00.  127 

and  follow  its  curves  and  caprices.  She  shook 
her  head  sadly,  and  the  children  then  left 
her,  and  tramp,  tramp  went  those  restless  little 
feet. 

One  child  alone  remained  behind,  going 
backward  and  forward  like  a  little  bird  flit- 
ting about  the  door  of  its  cage. 

"  I  want  to  get  out !  I  want  to  get  out !"  he 
said  plaintively. 

"  What  is  this  place  ?"  asked  Kitty. 

"  It  is  Disobedience  Maze,"  said  the  child  in 
a  thin,  clear  voice.  "  We  are  the  disobedient 
children,  and  because  ^ve  would  follow  our  o^vn 
way  instead  of  the  one  that  we  ^n  ere  told  to  go 
we  have  lost  the  Path  of  01)edience.  I  would 
go  to  the  right  when  I  was  told  to  go  to  the 
left.  I  would  go  back  when  I  was  told  to  go 
on.  I  would  do  what  I  was  told  not  to  do,  and 
one  day  I  found  I  had  got  into  this  miserable 
place,  Avhich  is  so  full  of  dreadful  troubles, 
and  thorns,  and  twistings.  I  am  so  tired  !  I 
am  so  tired  !  I  want  to  find  my  way  to  Obedi- 
ence Path." 

Even  as  he   spoke  the  vision  began  to  fade 


128  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

and  disappear,  and  the  sound  of  the  little  feet 
grew  fainter  and  fainter.  Only  the  childish 
voices  asking  to  "  get  back  into  Obedience 
Path  "  seemed  still  to  float  out  from  the  fog 
curtain  that  had  stolen  over  the  scene. 

Kitty  felt  very  sorry  for  those  poor  children 
tramping  in  Disobedience  Maze,  and  restlessly 
seeking  the  way  out. 

"  Won't  they  ever  get  out  ?"  she  asked  with 
tears  in  her  eyes. 

"  Every  child  has  a  chance,"  answered  Love. 
"  But,  hush  ! — wait — you  will  know  by  and 
by." 

Kitty  saw  that  another  vision  was  forming 
on  the  fog.  She  sa\v  a  cold,  gray,  flat  plain 
strewn  with  what  looked  like  lumps  of  ice  very 
queerly  shaped.  Over  the  plain  moaned  a 
shiverins:  sound  like  that  of  the  wind.  "  I — I 
—I  !"    It  turned  to  a  shrill  whistle.    "  Me— e— 


-me — me 


t" 


As  the  vision  grew  clearer  Kitty  perceived 
that  what  looked  like  lumps  of  ice  were  really 
frozen  children.  Some  of  them  were  just  turn- 
ing into  ice.     They  were  motionless,  as  if  frozen 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG.  129 

to  the  ground ;  but  the  eyes  of  all  were  living, 
peering,  hungry  eyes,  turning  here  and  there 
with  alert  watchfulness.  Their  hands  w^ere  also 
alive ;  they  were  black  and  blue  with  cold,  but 
stretched  out,  opening  and  shutting,  clutching 
at  everything  they  could  lay  hold  of,  such  as 
the  bits  of  sticks  or  rags  that  strewed  the 
ground. 

There  was  something  terrible  and  grotesque 
in  the  sight  of  those  ice-children,  motionless 
but  for  their  keen  eyes  watching,  and  hands 
grabbing,  clutching.  Kitty  no^v  perceived 
that  their  lips  moved  also,  and  that  they  and 
not  the  wind  uttered  that  shivering  "  I — I — 
I !     Me — me — me  !" 

"  AMio  are  they  ?"  she  whispered. 

Once  more  Love  motioned  to  her  to  speak  to 
them  ;  but  Kitty  drew  back.  Slie  was  as  much 
afraid  of  talking  to  them  as  she  had  been  to 
the  child  in  the  cobweb.  It  was  like  talking 
to  dead  children.  As  she  shrank  away  the 
shrill,  airy  voices  began  a  song  her  nurse 
used  to  sing  as  a  reproach  to  her  when  she  was 
selfish : 


130  J)OWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

"  I  said  to  myself  as  I  walked  by  myself. 
And  myself  said  again  to  iiie  : 
'  Take  heed  of  tliyself,  look  after  thyself. 
For  nobody  cares  for  tliee.'" 

They  sang  it  togetliei',  }mt  all   in  a  dift'erent 
key   and    in   a  different   nieasiu'e,  so  that  the 


eflt'ect  ])rodueed  was  a  shrill  discord,  as  if  rasp- 
inix  rattles,  and  wheezy  whistles,  and  ci'acked 
stringed  instruments  were  playing  in  concert, 
but  each  on  its  own  account. 

"Well,  I   must  say,"  cried  Kitty,  forgetting 


PICTURES  IN  TEE  FOG.  131 

her  f rigM,  "  if  I  sang  those  ugly  words,  at  any 
rate  I  would  sing  them  in  time  and  all  to- 
gether." 

"  We  never  do  anything  together,"  said  the 
child  nearest  to  her,  who  happened  not  to  be 
quite  turned  into  an  icicle.  "  We  always  cry 
when  others  laugh,  and  laugh  ^vhen  others  cry. 
We  always  take  all  we  can  and  do  all  we  can 
to  prevent  others  from  getting  anything.  That 
is  the  way  to  turn  to  ice.  Every  time  you  do 
this  your  heart  gets  a  little  colder,  a  little 
harder,  a  little  lonelier.  It's  quite  easy  to  turn 
to  ice ;  you  have  only  to  think  always  of  your- 
self." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  turn  to  ice  on  any  ac- 
count. I  don't  want  to  be  cold  and  hard  and 
lonely.  It  is  the  very  last  thing  I  want.  No- 
body would  love  me,"  cried  Kitty  indig- 
nantly. 

"  But  I  love  myself,"  said  tlis  ice-child,  with 
a  shiver.  "  I  wish  I  could  like  what  I  grab," 
it  went  on,  turning  beady  eyes  on  the  rags  and 
sticks,  gathered  in  a  heap  1)}'  its  side ;  "  but  I 
cannot ;  I  only  don't  A\'ant  any  one  else  to  have 


132  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

them.  Oil,  I  wish  I  could  thaw  !"  it  said  quite 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly. 

"  We  wish  we  could  thaw  !  We  wish  we 
could  thaw  !"  sighed  all  the  children  together ; 
and  the  vision  faded,  slowly  faded  away, 

"  Won't  they  ever  grow  warm  again  V  asked 
Kitty,  blinking  away  some  tears. 

Love  looked  almost  as  sad  as  when  Kitty 
had  questioned  her  about  the  cobweb,  and  her 
face  was  as  difficult  to  read. 

Now  there  came  from  behind  the  fog  curtain 
a  sharp  sound  of  smackings. 

"  Whippings !"  said  Kitt}-  ^vitll  a  gleam  of 
fun  in  her  eyes  that  dried  up  the  lingering 
tears. 

But  it  was  not  whippings  that  the  fog  vision 
showed.  Again  she  sa\v  a  cl•()^vd  of  children, 
and  each  child  w^is  l)oxing  its  own  ears,  pulling 
its  own  hair,  pinching,  biting,  scratching  its 
own  hands  oi'  face;  making  gi'imaces  the  trace 
of  which  remained.  Kitty  recognized  some  of 
the  childi'en  she  had  seen  in  Daddy  Coax's 
schoolroom.  There  was  the  child  who  had 
slapped   his   kind   old  face :  she  a\  as  slapping 


PICTURES  m  THE  FOG. 


133 


her  own  witli  vigor.  Slap,  slap  on  each  cheek 
sounded  the  smack  of  the  little  furious  hands. 
There  was  the  boy  who  had  tried  to  kick 
Daddy  Coax's  shins,  kicking  away — kick,  kick 
— at  his  OAvn. 


"  That  is  a  splendivl  punishment,"  said  Kitty, 
nodding  approvingly  and  ensiling  broadly. 

It  was  an  extraordinary  sight  to  behold, 
clinched  small  fists  raised  as  if  to  burt  some  one 


134  J>0  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS, 

else  suddenly  turning  round  and  administering 
a  sound  cuff,  bang,  bang  on  tlieir  owner's  ears ; 
to  behold  those  spread-out  tiny  fingers  pulling 
away  viciously  at  their  o'wner's  hair.  It  Avas  a 
sight  ludicrous  and  yet  sad.  Such  swollen 
noses,  blackened  eyes ;  such  battered,  bruised, 
wounded  children,  inflicting  great  misery  upon 
themselves,  making  themselves  so  ugly  by 
grimaces  that  left  their  mark  behind. 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  cried  Kitty,  much  excited. 

"  We  are  the  passionate,  willful,  ungrateful 
children,"  said  a  boy  ^vhom  Kitty  recognized  to 
be  the  one  who  had  broken  Daddy  Coax's  flute. 
He  looked  dismally  at  her  and  then  gave  him- 
self two  big  thumps,  one  on  liis  nose  and  one 
on  his  ear.  "  Never  you  hurt  others,  especially 
those  who  are  kind  to  you.  It's  yourself  you 
hurt  all  the  while,"  he  went  on.  "  It's  dread- 
ful pain  when  you  come  to  feel  it!  dreadful  ! 
and  you  can't  lea\e  off,  you  must  keep  on  hurt- 
ing yourself,  not  till  you  get  the  kiss  of  forgive^ 
ness.  I  should  like  to  see  dear  old  Daddy 
Coax  again.  I  should  like  to  give  him  a  kiss 
and  to  tell  him  I  am  sorry." 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG.  135 

"  We  are  sorry,"  cried  all  the  children,  and 
their  cry  still  sounded  as  the  picture  faded 
away. 

"  Who  gives  the  kiss  of  forgiveness  ?  Will 
they  ever  get  the  kiss  ?"  asked  Kitty  anxiously, 
for  she  had  changed  her  mind  about  the  punish- 
ment. 

"  There  is  one  day  in  the  year  when  every 
child  can  get  it,"  said  the  pale  lady. 

Before  Kitty  could  ask  another  question 
she  saw  that  another  picture  was  appearing  in 
the  fog.  The  ground  was  strewn  Avith  pretty 
feathers  of  birds,  with  smashed  speckled  eggs, 
with  cozy  nests  all  spoiled.  Hosts  of  lovely 
butterflies  flapped  about  with  crushed  wings 
that  thoughtless  little  hands  had  broken. 
Dream  pussies,  looking  starved  and  in  pain, 
haunted  the  place,  curving  their  l^acks  as  if 
comino;  to  be  stroked  and  to  rub  themselves 
against  friendly  legs.  Faithful-eyed  dogs 
limped  about.  The  mist  seemed  full  of  pip- 
ings of  sorrowing  birds,  of  reproachful  mews, 
of  pitiful  whines,  and  all  the  children  seemed 
grieved.     Kitty  recognized  some  of  those  who 


136  I>0  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

had  dragged  her  along  and  would  have  robbed 
the  bird's  nest. 

"  I  know  those  are  the  cruel  children.  I  hope 
they  will  be  well  punished,"  said  Kitty. 

"  They  are  punished.  Look  at  their  tears," 
said  the  pale  lady.  "  They  did  not  know  the 
pain  they  gave,  because  they  did  not  think. 
Now  they  know  when  they  have  killed  one  of 
God's  dear  innocent  creatures  they  cannot  mend 
it  again,  as  a  toy  can  be  mended.  They  cannot 
mend  the  butterflies'  wings.  They  cannot 
give  back  the  poor  little  yellow-beaked  young 
to  the  grieving  parent  birds." 

Kitty  saw  that  some  of  the  children  were 
shutting  their  ears  not  to  hear  the  pipings  and 
other  cries  of  pain  ;  others  closing  their  eyes 
not  to  see  the  dead  birds,  the  wounded  cats 
and  dogs,  81ie  presently  perceived  that  a  little 
girl  was  speaking  to  her.  She  recognized  the 
child  who  could  not  speak  distinctly,  who  had 
killed  the  ])utterfly. 

"  I  am  always  seeing  it.  It  flaps  about  me," 
moaned  the  l)aby  voice.  '' It  keeps  saying  to 
me   here,  '  I  was   so  merry  that  day.     The  sun 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG.  137 

was  sMning  and  I  was  going  to  see  how  my 
friends  the  daisies  were  getting  on,  and  if  the 
buttercups  were  golden  as  yesterday.  I  was 
playing,  as  you  love  to  play,  and  just  as  I  was 
merriest,  with  the  sunshine  on  my  wings,  you 
came  and  struck  me  like  a  big  hammer.  I  had 
never  done  you  any  harm,  and  I  was  so  merry.' 
Oh,  I  wish  I  could  make  it  live  again  !  I  wish 
I  could  make  it  live  again  !"  moaned  the  baby 
voice. 

"  The  birds  are  worse,  whose  nests  you  have 
robbed,  and  whose  little  ones  you  have  killed," 
cried  a  boy.  "  They  keep  flying  about  you. 
They  won't  leave  you  alone.  They  scream 
in  your  ear,  '  Good,  good  world  !  happy,  beauti- 
ful world,  but  for  the  cruel  children  in  it.' " 

"  It  is  I  who  am  the  most  miserable,"  sobbed 
another  boy. 

He  was  running  as  if  trying  to  escape  some- 
thing pursuing  him,  closing  his  eyes  and  shut- 
ting his  ears,  while  an  ugly  dog,  with  big  flabby 
paws  and  a  nose  like  a  black  quivering  mush- 
room, one  ear  ^vith  a  slit  in  it,  and  a  tail  some- 
thing  like  a  curled-up  sausage,  followed  him, 


133  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

always  jumping,  always  trying  to  lick  his 
face. 

"  Was  that  your  dog  ?"  asked  Kitty. 

The  boy  stopped.  "  Yes,  his  name  was  ^  Trot.' 
He  loved  me,  he  trusted  me,  he  followed  me 
wherever  I  went ;  but  I  grew  ashamed  of  him, 
for  every  one  called  him  a  cur.  The  other  boys 
laughed  at  me  and  nicknamed  me  '  Master 
Mongrel,'  so  I  made  up  my  mind  to  get  rid  of 
him.  Twice  I  managed  to  lose  him,  but  he 
found  his  way  home,  and  when  he  saw  me  he 
licked  my  hand  and  nearly  wagged  oft'  his  tail 
with  o-hidness.  One  winter  dav  I  took  liim  oft^ 
for  a  long  walk  ;  lie  trotted  trustfully  by  my 
side  as  if  it  were  a  hoi  id  a)'.  I  took  him  to  a 
wood  a  long  way  oft',  and  I  tied  him  to  a  tree 
Avith  a  cord  and  left  him  there.  1  did  not  mind 
his  whines  and  liis  howls  ;  I  left  him  there.  That 
night  it  came  on  to  snow;  1  tried  to  be  glad;  I 
was  pleased  to  have  got  rid  of  him.  Next  day 
it  still  snowed.  I  thought  1  would  go  and  fetch 
him  home.  I  Avent  to  the  place  where  I  had 
left  him.  I  could  not  find  him,  it  was  like  a 
graveyard  of  snow.     1  (hig  and  dug  in  the  snow 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG. 


139 


with  iriy  hands,  I  dug  till  I  found  him.  He  lay 
quite  stiff.  I  whistled  and  called  '  Trot.'  He 
just  opened  one  eye,  gave  his  tail  a  little  wag, 
put  out  his  old  tongue  and  tried  to  lick  my 


hand,  and  died.  Oh,  I  wish  he  was  alive  again  ! 
I  wish  he  was  alive  ao:ain  !" 

The  mist  closed  over  the  picture  as  the  boy 
repeated  his  unavailing  wish. 

"  When  will  they  have  the  kiss  of  forgive- 
ness ?"  asked  Kitty  with   a  little  sob,  for  now 


140  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STATUS. 

she  knew  that  the  punishment  of  those  children 
was  hard.  They  were  to  feel  the  innocence 
and  trustfulness  of  the  creatures  they  hurt,  and 
to  realize  all  the  happiness  they  had  destroyed. 

"  There  is  one  day  in  the  year — Christmas 
Day!"  said  Love, 

"  Christmas  Day  !"  repeated  Kitty. 

She  tried  to  remember  when  Christmas  Day 
would  be :  was  it  to-morrow,  or  next  year,  or 
next  week  ?  Was  it  in  spring,  summer,  au- 
tumn, or  winter  ?  What  season  was  it  now  ? 
She  had  forgotten  everything.  Everything 
had  slipped  from  her  mind  but  the  thought  of 
the  children  in  Punishment  Land. 

Was  it  because  slie  thought  of  Christmas 
Day  that  a  delicious  smell  of  hot  jam  and 
cakes  stole  through  the  fog,  as  the  picture 
began  to  form  ? 

"That  cannot  l)e  part  of  Punishment  Land  !" 
exclaimed  Kitty,  \vatching  the  vision  growing 
there. 

She  saw  a  place  where  tarts  grew  on  bushes 
and  candies  strewed  the  ground,  where  the 
flowers  sparkled  ^\'itll  sugar,  ^vhere  there  was  a 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG. 


141 


river  of  syrup  on  which  a  boat  of  chocolate  lay 
at  anchor,  and  sugar  swans  curved  their  long 
necks.  A  bird  flew  out  of  the  fog ;  it  fell  down 
ready  roasted  on  the  ground.  A  little  rabbit 
scampered  along,  then  suddenly  it  stood  rigid, 
turned  to  candy.  A  cowslip  ball  was  tossed 
out  of  the  mist;  as  it 
fell,  it  became  a  plum- 
pudding  stuck  all  over 
with  almonds. 

A  number  of  children 
were  in  that  pleasant 
place,  but  they  did  not 
seem  to  be  enjoying  it. 
Their  faces  were  the 
color  of  boiled  cauli- 
flowers, and  they  rubbed 
their  little  stomachs  with  a  very  dismal  ex- 
pression, sighing  :  "  Oh,  that  nasty  sweetmeat ! 
Oh,  that  dreadful  pie  !  Oh,  that  tart !  that  jam  ! 
Oh,  to  be  hungry  again  and  relish  a  mug  of 
.milk  !" 

A  faint  and  querulous  voice  addressed  Kitty. 

"  Take  my  advice   and  never  eat  a  tart.     I 


142  DOWJSr  THE  SKO  W  STAIRS. 

shall  never  eat  one  again  when  I  leave  this 
place,  never." 

She  saw  that  the  speaker  was  the  little  lad 
she  had  met  in  the  lane  and  whose  conversation 
always  turned  upon  plum-cakes  and  sweets. 
He  shook  his  head  warningly  and  woefully  as 
he  spoke. 

"  I  should  have  thought  this  is  just  the  place 
you  would  have  liked,"  she  said. 

"  It  is  a  dreadful  place.  You  have  always  a 
lump  here ;"  and  he  rubl^ed  himself  round  and 
round.  "  I  beij^in  to  hate  suo:ar.  I  can't  touch 
anything  but  it  turns  to  sugar.  I  can't  play 
because  I  feel  so  ill,  and  I  can't  think  because 
my  head  feels  like  a  pudding,  and  when  I  go 
to  sleep  I  luxve  dreadful  dreams.  Listen,  there 
are  the  dreams  coming !  Oli  !  oh  !  oh  !  and  I 
am  going  to  slee}),  to  sleep." 

Kitty  lieard  a  rustling.  She  thought  the 
dreams  Av^ould  come  tlirougli  the  fog.  Not  a  l)it 
of  it.  Out  of  tarts  tliat  bung  on  the  bushes, 
out  of  the  pel>b]es,  tlie  sugar  fiowers,  the  syrup 
river,  the  chocolate  l)oat,  tliey  came,  growling, 
scpiealing,  S(pieakiiig,  jumping,  trotting,  whirl- 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG.  143 

ing,  hopping.  Old  men  witli  veiy  hooked  noses, 
and  legs  like  asparagus,  waving  about  dreadful 
bottles  of  medicines.  Old  women  with  gray 
wisps  of  hair  and  green-eyed  black  cats  on  their 
shoulders.  Red  imps  making  somersaults  and 
waving  their  arms  like  windmills,  children  with 
whiskers,  frogs  as  big  as  shoulders  of  mutton, 
with  eyes  on  fire,  pigs  with  bi'i sties  like  porcu- 
pines. All  these  phantoms  filled  the  picture 
on  the  fog.  They  jumped  upon  the  children's 
chests,  and  presently  there  was  a  sound  of  long, 
dreary  snores.  The  fat  pig  with  the  bristles 
jumped  upon  the  boy  who  had  been  speaking 
to  Kitty.  "  Grunt,  grunt,"  went  the  pig. 
"  Snore,  snore,"  went  the  boy,  and  to  these 
sounds  the  vision  slowly  faded  away. 

"  AVell,  I  don't  ^vonder  he  d(^es  not  care  for 
tarts  any  more,"  said  Kitty,  who  felt  I'ather  in- 
clined to  laugh,  although  she  flicked  a^vay  a 
teal'.     Even  Greedyland  picture  was  sad. 

And  now  she  perceived  that  another  picture 
was  beginning  to  appear.  It  was  that  of  a 
lovely  landscape.  There  were  trees,  and  run- 
niu":   ^vater,  and  bloomiufi;  flowers.     Children 


144  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

filled  this  pleasant  spot.  But  they  did  not 
seem  at  all  happy.  Some  glanced  about  them  in 
a  frightened  fashion.  The  greater  number  pre- 
sented a  most  dejected,  even  a  disconsolate  ap- 
pearance, while  a  few  sat  apart,  keeping  their 
eyes  tightly  screwed  up ;  their  faces  were  all 
puckered  to  keep  those  eyes  tightly  closed. 
As  she  looked  at  the  children  she  recognized 
some  of  those  she  had  seen  looking  into  the 
pool  and  singing  to  their  own  reflections. 

"  Why,  what  is  it  they  do  not  want  to  see  ?" 
asked  Kitty,  glancing  about  to  discover  if 
anything  terrible  lurked  among  the  trees  and 
flowers. 

She  looked  up  to  Love,  but  once  again  Love 
motioned  to  her  to  speak  to  the  children. 

Kitty  advanced  nearer.  "  Why  do  you  keep 
your  eyes  shut  V  she  asked  a  little  girl  who  was 
sitting  with  her  eyes  tightly  closed. 

"  Don^t  speak  to  me.  I  won't  look  at  you," 
answered  the  child  with  a  resolute  shake  of  her 
head,  but  without  a  (piiver  of  her  eyelids. 

Another  child  came  running  up.  She  waved 
her  hands   and   pointed  up  and  down  and  all 


Faces  !  Faces  :— a  World  of  Faces  1— Page  145. 


PICTURES  IN  TEE  FOG.  145 

around^  saying,  in  that  thin  piping  voice  Kitty 
was  getting  accnstomed  to  hear : 

"  Don't  you  see  !  don't  you  see  !" 

Kitty  hooked,  rubbed  her  eyes,  and  looked 
again.  Yes — no,  there  was  no  mistake.  Faces 
everywhere.  Faces  !  faces  !  faces  ! — a  world 
of  faces  !  All  those  children's  faces  smiling, 
blinking,  nodding ;  up  in  the  sky,  down  on  the 
ground.  On  every  flower,  on  every  ])lade  of 
grass,  on  every  leaf  of  the  trees  were  faces. 

Kitty  began  to  laugh,  the  effect  was  so  com- 
ical ;  for  as  tlie  leaves  of  the  trees  tossed,  the 
flowers  nodded,  the  water  flowed,  there  were 
the  most  extraordinary  eifects.  The  faces  now 
melted  into  each  other,  now  were  topsy-turvy ; 
noses  came  where  eyes  should  be ;  the  hair 
seemed  to  groAv  on  chins ;  the  mouths  climbed 
up  to  the  forehead  ;  sometimes  it  was  like 
a  world  of  faces  seen  reflected  in  a  vast  tea- 
pot, nothing  was  seen  but  noses  and  slits  of 
eyes. 

^'  Don't  laugh,"  said  the  child  plaintively. 
"  I  can't  see  your  face.  It's  myself  I  see  when 
I  look  at  you." 


146  DO  WN  TEE  UNO  W  STAIRS. 

"  Really,"  exclaimed  Kitty,  "  that  is  most  ex- 
traordinary !" 

"  I  never  see  anything  but  my  face,  never. 
We  all  see  our  own  faces  everywhere,  wher- 
ever we  look." 

She  glanced,  as  she  spoke,  toward  a  snn- 
flo^ver,  and,  sure  enough,  Kitty  saw  the  child's 
little  face  peeping  out  of  the  )ng  hnnvn  heart ; 
upside  down  on  a  dock  leaf ;  grinning  from  a 
thistle — there  it  was  again. 

"  I  wish  I  could  see  something  else  than  my 
face,"  sobbed  the  child.  "I  wish  I  could  see 
something  else." 

Then  there  rose  a  chorus  of  airy,  unliaj^py 
voices  repeating  tlie  same  words:  ''Something 
else  than  my  face ;  something  else  than  my 
face." 

And  the  visicm  faded  away,  while  in  the  air 
a  crooning  sound  was  heai'd,  and  the  words  of 
a  lament : 

"  Oil,  710  I  we  would  110  loiio;er  see 
The  faces  once  wc  thought  so  fair; 
For  beautiful  as  they  luight  be 
To  gaze  u])on  them  here  and  there. 


PICTURES  IN  THE  FOG.  147 

V  And  stare  and  glare 

With  eyes  so  hazy. 

Will  drive  ns  crazy. 
Because  it  is  ourselves  that  we 
Are  sick  of  seeing  everywhere." 

Kitty  turned  to  Love. 

"■  Won't  it  be  soon  Christmas  Day  ?"  she 
asked,  for  her  little  heart  was  full  of  pity,  and 
she  longed  for  all  those  children  to  receive  the 
kiss  of  forgiveness. 

Love  smiled,  and  her  smile  seemed  to  hold 
out  a  promise  that  it  was  near ;  Lut  she  did 
not  speak  the  Avords,  and  when  Kitty  looked 
again  toward  the  mist  wall  there  was  another 
picture  forming  itself  there.  If  ever  there  was 
represented  a  vision  of  an  untidy,  jumbled- 
about  place,  there  it  certainly  was  })lainly  seen 
on  the  mist.  Such  a  litter  of  rags,  crumbs, 
broken  toys,  writing  implements,  and  books  ! 
What  was  most  remarkable  Avere  the  lessons 
that  were  comino-  out  of  the  books,  and  takin<j;- 
Avalks  on  their  o\mi  account  about  the  place, 
and  mingling  among  themselves  in  the  queerest 
manner.     A  bit  of  the  map  of  China  had  set- 


148  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

tied  itself  down  in  Yorkshire,  and  there  was 
Denmark  planting  itself  in  the  Desert  of  Sa- 
hara ;  Ireland  Avas  on  the  top  of  Monnt  Vesu- 
vius, which  was  beginning  to  runil)le  fright- 
fully and  emit  huge  puffs  of  smoke.  As  for 
history,  Kitty  found  it  quite  impossible  to 
follow  its  freaks ;  but  she  sa"\v  distinctly  Julius 
Ca3sar  was  sio-nins;  Mao-na  Cliarta,  and  the 
Crusaders  were  fighting  the  battle  of  Waterloo, 
Grammar  and  sums  were  trying  experiments  of 
such  a  complicated  character  there  was  no 
finding  out  what  they  were  driving  at.  In  the 
midst  of  this  place  sat  a  number  of  children; 
they  had  a  muddled-up  air,  as  if  the  walking- 
al)out  lessons  Avere  too  much  for  them.  Their 
mouths  dropped  open,  theii'  eyes  half-closed ; 
they  were  all  in  tatters.  They  looked  ashamed. 
If  they  pulled  tlieir  sleeves  down  to  hide  their 
dirty  hands,  crack  came  a  great  rent  at  the 
elbows;  if  they  pulled  down  their  stockings 
into  tlieir  boots  to  lii<le  the  holes  at  tlieir  heels, 
out  peeped  their  knees. 

"  You  are  the   unti<ly  children,"  said  Kitty, 
nodding.     "  Well,  you  are  in  a  muddle." 


PIGTUlim  IN  THE  FOG.  I49 

"  It  was  all  our  laziness,"  said  the  cliild  near- 
est to  where  she  stood.  He  sighed  so  pitifully 
that  Kitty  wished  to  cheer  him  up  a  bit. 

"  Why  cannot  you  set  to  and  put  things 
straight  ?"  she  asked  briskly. 

"  Can't,"  said  the  boy. 

''  Can't,"  sighed  all  the  children. 

"  Look,"  said  the  boy.  He  stretched  out  his 
leg ;  all  the  children  stretched  out  their  legs. 
Kitty  saw  they  had  turned  to  stumps. 

"  That  is  because  we  would  not  run,"  he  mut- 
tered mournfully.  ^'  Look,"  he  said  again.  He 
put  out  his  hands;  all  the  children  put  out 
their  hands.  All  the  fingers  were  joined  ;  they 
were  like  hands  in  boxing-gloves. 

"  That  is  because  we  would  not  use  them," 
explained  the  boy  in  the  same  dismal  voice. 

''  As  for  our  ideas,  they  are  gone  to  sleep,  and 
are  \valking  about  in  their  sleep  and  \v  on't  wake 
up,"  said  the  l)oy. 

"And  won't  wake  ii[),"  floated  the  sad,  slow 
voices  out  of  the  fog,  closing  over  i\\e  scene. 

"  I  wish  Christmas  Day  would  come,"  cried 
Kitty.  "Don't  you  think  they  have  been  pun- 
ished enouii-li  V 


150  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

She  looked  toward  Love,  and  Love's  face  was 
illumined  with  a  smile  like  a  sunbeam. 

"  I  am  so  sorry  for  the  naughty  children," 
said  Kitty  with  a  sob.  "  I  wish  the  time  had 
come  for  them  to  receive  the  kiss  of  forgive- 
ness." 

Love  laid  her  hand  on  Kitty's  head,  then 
gently  touched  her  ears. 

Lo  !  faintly  Kitty  heard  the  sound  of  joy- 
bells  tinkling.  Sweet  bells !  hap})y  bells ! 
ringing  clearer  and  clearer,  nearer  and  nearer, 
till  all  the  air  seemed  full  of  their  pealing  and 
clan<2:in<i:. 

"  Christmas  bells  !"  exclaimed  Kitty  breath- 
lessly. 

Love  lifted  her  finii-er.    "  Hush  !"  she  said. 


LOVE  SPEAKS.  151 


CHAPTER   IX. 


LOVE    SPEAKS. 


Hush  !  Kitty  heard  a  sound.  It  was  at 
first  like  tliat  of  tlie  wind  rising ;  it  grew  more 
distinct,  and  it  was  that  of  a  hustling  and  a 
bustlino;.  Little  feet  runnino;,  little  feet  shuf- 
fling ;  their  airy  tread  sounded  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  it  came  from  the  right,  it  came  from  the 
left,  it  came  from  all  around. 

Nearer  and  nearer,  quicker  and  (quicker  they 
seemed  to  come,  those  eager,  running,  scamper- 
ing, flying  feet.  And  presently  Kitty  saw  the 
children.  Hosts  of  children;  any  nuniLer  of 
children,  leaping,  rushing  headlong  toward 
where  Love  was  standing. 

Out  of  the  fog  they  came  ;  out  of  falsehood's 
net,  torn  cobwebs  hanging  al)out  their  necks, 
their  hair,  clinging  to  tlieir  clothes ;  tired  chil- 
dren, bleedinof  and  footsore,  from  Disobedience 


152 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


Maze;  seMsli  children,  wliite  and  lioaiy  with 
icicles ;  cruel  children,  with  tear-stained  faces 
anxiously  turned  t<)^^'ard  Love ;  passionate 
children,  bruised  and  disfigured ;  greedy  chil- 
dren, heavy-eyed  and  sallow ;  the  vain  children, 
wdth  open-eyed  gaze  fixed  upon  the  white  lady; 


^:^'P\fm 


1  M^ 


/// 


mi>  K 


lazy  children,  in  their  unniended  raos;  it  was 
(juite  astonisliing  to  see  how  fast  their  stumpy 
legs  could  carry  them.  Fi'om  all  parts  they 
came,  nearer  and  nearei',  (jiiicker  and  ((uicker. 
Still  tiny  came,  calling,  ci'ving,  sobbing,  entreat- 
ing, "(iive  us  the  kiss  of  forgiveness."  They 
pressed   toward    Lo\e,  closer  and    closer;  little 


LOVE  SPEAKS.  153 

arms  outstretclied,  little  faces  upturned,  little 
mouths  pursed  up  for  a  kiss,  and  on  all  sides 
that  sobbing  cry,  "  Give  us  the  kiss  of  forgive- 
ness." 

And  Love  stretched  out  her  arms  and 
gathered  the  children  into  them,  and  kissed 
them  one  by  one.  As  she  kissed  them  the 
cobwebs  fell  from  those  who  had  escaped  from 
falsehood's  net ;  the  wounded  feet  of  the  dis- 
ol)edient  were  healed  ;  the  icicles  melted  and 
dropped  away  from  the  selfish  children,  ^vho 
seemed  dissolved  into  a  rain  of  tears  ;  the  pas- 
sionate children  lost  their  disfigurement ;  the 
greedy  children  grew  rosy ;  the  vain  children 
cried  out  with  glee  as,  looking  around,  their 
own  faces  no  longer  po})ped  out  to  gi'eet  them ; 
tlie  rags  of  the  slovenly,  idle  children  were 
mended ;  their  legs  and  hands  grew  supple. 

It  was  a  wonderful  sio-ht  to  see  the  children 
after  they  received  Love's  kiss.  Their  eyes 
shone;  they  danced  for  joy;  their  hair  seemed 
to  stand  out  in  a  crest  of  light  a])Out  their 
heads.  Kitty  fancied  some  bright  presence 
must  be  hovering  above  tliem. 


154  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

Then  Love  folded  Kitty  in  her  anus  and 
kissed  her  on  the  forehead. 

That  kiss  was  the  strangest,  sweetest  kiss 
Kitty  ever  received. 

It  was  sweeter  than  any  comfit ;  it  was  pleas- 
anter  than  any  music  to  which  her  feet  had 
danced ;  it  brought  a  feeling  of  peace  like  that 
that  came  to  her  when  her  mother  kissed  her 
in  the  dark  nis-ht ;  but  this  kiss  also  brouo;ht 
to  her  a  sense  of  pain. 

Something  like  fire  touched  Kitty's  heart, 
and  stirred  a  memory  that  had  lain  asleep  all 
this  time.  She  had  fori^-otten  something;.  What 
was  it  ?  Vaguely  she  remem])ered  the  blue 
rose,  the  bullfinch,  then  suddenly  her  mother 
and  Johnnie. 

She  liad  forcj-otten  Jolinnie.  Johnnie,  who 
was  ill  unto  death,  whose  illness  had  come 
through  her  fault.  She  remend)ered  it  all 
now :  how  she  had  crept  downstairs,  and 
then  slie  thought  of  the  doctor's  words : 
"  Christmas  Eve  would  decide  if  he  were  to  live 
or  die." 

Why  had  she  gone  away  from  him  ?    Would 


LOVE  SPEAKS. 


155 


she  ever  get  back  in  time  for  Christmas  Day  ? 
Would  Johnnie  be  alive  or  dead  when  she 
reached  home  ?     As   she   stood   there,    asking 


herself  these  (jiiestions  with  a  yearning  home- 
sick feeling  overllo^\■ing  her  heart,  Kitty  felt 
something  brushing  tears  from  her  cheek.  She 
looked  up.     A    tiny    child,    with    little    pink 


156  DOWN  THE  BNOW  STAIRS. 

wings,  was  liovering  about  lier.  lie  was  clothed 
in  a  tunic  made  of  a  bit  of  rainbow,  and  his  face 
was  the  face  of  Jolmnie.  He  had  rosier  cheeks, 
and  he  did  not  cany  a  crutch,  for  his  little  legs 
were  straight. 

"Who  are  you?"  ashed  Kitty. 

The  rosy-^vinged  child  laughed,  and  the  laugh 
was  Johnnie's  laugh.  Kitty  heard  Love's  voice 
speaking. 

"  I  have  given  you  each  a  guardian  child.  It 
was  born  of  ni}'  kiss.  But  another  companion 
also  goes  with  you." 

Over  every  cliild  Kitty  now  saw  that  there 
liovered  a  tiiiv  fiLCure  on  rosy  win<i:s,  clothed  in 
rainl)ow  drapery.  She  saw  with  surprise  also 
tliat  every  cliihl  had  another  attendant  ci'ouch- 
ing  on  its  left  shoulder,  a  small  elfish  fiirure, 
which  every  now  and  then  appeared  to  her  to 
be  half-animal,  half-child,  and  in  a  strange 
fasjiion  to  take  tlie  form  of  an  animal  that  bore 
some  likeness  to  the  cliild  itself. 

"You  do  not  know,"  Love  went  on,  "and  it 
is  no  wonder  you  should  not,  for  you  ai'e  all  so 
youuLT,  that  nou  have  each  a  hiu^her  and  a  lower 


LOVE  SPEAKS.  157 

nature..  To-niglit  is  Christmas  Eve  :  good  and 
evil  sprites  are  abroad,  fairies  and  elves. 
Stransie  sio-lits  are  seen.  To-nii2:lit  tlie  lower 
nature — the  naughty  self — of  each  of  you  here 
has  taken  the  shape  of  a  little  goblin,  and  goes 
al)out  with  you  in  visible  form." 

Kitty  looked  fearfully  round  to  her  own  left 
shoulder,  and  there,  sure  enough,  was  a  little 
kitten-like  creature  with  pointed  ears  and 
roguish  eyes.  It  sat  up  Avith  a  defiant  air  as  it 
peeped  round  at  her  with  a  sidelong  glance.  It 
appeared  quite  playful,  but  as  Kitty  looked  at  it 
the  l^roAvn  creature  lost  its  kittenish  air,  and  it 
Avas  a  face  like  her  own,  l)ut  quite  small,  that 
she  saw  looking  back  at  her  with  her  naugh- 
tiest expression. 

Kitty  started;  then  she  heard  Love's  voice 
still  speaking : 

''  You  are  going  on  a  journey.  You  are  all 
going  home  !" 

"  Home  !  home  !"  cried  Kitty,  and  all  the 
children  skipped  with  joy. 

^'  Your  guardian  child  goes  Avith  you  ;  but 
remember  that  other  attendant/'  Love  said,  and 


158  DOWN  THF.  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

her  voice  was  anxious.  "  Take  care  !  It  will 
always  be  on  the  side  of  temptation  and  against 
your  guardian  child.  If  you  mind  this  sprite, 
which  is  your  naughty  self,  it  will  grow 
stronger  and  stronger,  and  will  drive  away 
your  guardian  child." 

"  We  will  not  mind  it,"  cried  all  the  children 
in  a  chorus. 

"  Your  homeward  journey  will  l)e  difficult," 
resumed  Love.     "  It  lies  through  a  wood." 

"  A  wood  !"  echoed  Kitty  and  all  the  chil- 
dren in  tones  of  dismay.  "  How  shall  we  find 
our  way  ?" 

"A  star  will  guide  you,"  said  Love. 

She  raised  her  fair  hand,  and  Kitty  and  the 
children  looked  whither  she  })ointed.  A  star 
shone  througli  the  mist.  It  was  as  bright  as  a 
diamond. 

"  Keep  your  eyes  upon  the  star,"  said  Love. 
"  Never  lose  sight  of  it,  and  } ou  will  reach 
home  by  Christmas  morning.  It  will  guide  you 
aright  through  the  perils  of  the  wood.  It  is  a 
difficult  wood  to  go  thi'ongh  ;  and  it  is  easy 
^vhen  }ou  are  in  it  to  fall  back  into  Punish- 
ment Land." 


LOVE  SPEAKS.  159 

"  Punishment    Land  !"  moaned  the  children. 

"  You  will  all  start  together,  yet  when  you 
reach  the  wood  you  will  find  yourselves  alone. 
Each  must  go  through  that  wood  alone." 

"  Oh  !"  sighed  the  children  again,  all  huddling 
a  little  closer  to  each  other. 

"There  is  no  danger,"  said  Love,  "if  you 
kee})  your  eyes  on  the  star.  Your  guardian 
child  will  help  you  through  the  difficulties  of 
your  journey.  Listen  to  what  he  says  to  you. 
He  is  my  little  amhassador.  Do  not  listen  to 
your  naughty  self.  Do  not  dally  on  the  way. 
Do  not  put  off.  If  you  (piit  the  path,  at  first 
it  may  be  easy  to  find  it  again,  but  it  ^vill  grow 
more  and  more  difficult,  till  it  may  l)e  l)ecome 
impossible."  Then  Love  grew  very  solemn, 
and  she  lifted  her  hand  in  warning.  "  Do  not 
play  with  the  sprite.  If  }'ou  play  with  it  }'ou 
will  hurt  your  guardian  child,  Avho  may  then 
leave  you.  Do  not,"  she  repeated  urgently, 
"  play  mth  the  self-sprite." 

"  We  will  not,  we  will  not,"  cried  the  chil- 
dren eagerly. 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Kitty,  giving  a  little  shove 


160  D0W2^  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

to  her  left  shoulder,  "  I  shall  listen  only  to 
my  guardian  child.  Dear  guardian  child,  with 
the  face  like  Johnnie." 

"  If  you  disobey  your  guardian  child  it  will 
grow  faint,  and  remenil)er  you  may  kill  it. 
Come,"  she  went  on,  "I  shall  go  with  you  as 
far  as  the  boundary  of  Punishment  Land." 
Love  walked  on  toward  the  wall  of  mist,  where 
shone  the  star.     The  children  followed. 

It  was  a  strange  sight  to  see  those  children 
following  her,  with  eyes  fixed  on  the  star,  and 
on  the  right  shoulder  of  each  little  pilgrim  the 
tiny  rosy-winged,  rainbow-dressed  figure  ;  and 
on  the  left  the  queer  little  half-animal  creature. 
And  as  they  approached  the  prison  wall  of  that 
dreary  land  tlie  star  began  to  (juiver  and  move. 
It  looked  like  a  bird  of  hre  with  (juivering 
wangs  setting  forth  on  its  trackless  sky -way. 

"AVecome!  we  come  !"  cried  the  children. 
Run,  run — what  a  hui'ly-burly  (^f  little  feet 
rushing  out  of  Punishment  Land,  setting  forth 
on  their  journey  home. 

They  turned  aii<l  ^vaved  their  little  hands  to 
Love.     '*  Farewell !    farewell !''  she  cried,  wav- 


LOVE  SPEAKS. 


161 


ing  her  fair  liand  in  answer.  "  Watcli  the  star ; 
obey  your  guardian  child.  Do  not  play  with 
your  naughty  sprite,  and  you  will  reach  home 
safe  by  Christmas  morning,  and  win  a  Christ- 
mas blessing."  She  smiled  wistfully  as  she 
spoke. 

The  fog  closed  over  Love's  figure,  and  Kitty 
suddenly  found  herself  standing  at  the  entrance 
of  a  great  wood.  She  was  alone.  The  children 
had  all  disappeared.  And  still  through  the  fog 
floated  Love's  voice — ''  AYatch  the  star.  Obey 
your  guardian  child.  Do  not  play  with  your 
naughty  sprite." 


162  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIBS. 


CHAPTER    X. 


IN    THE    WOOD, 


''  I  :MrsT  hurry,"  said  Kitty,  setting  off  at  a 
run.  There  was  a  sense  of  liaste  in  her  little 
heart.  Never  before  had  she  felt  such  a  sense 
of  hurry. 

The  star  glided  over  the  tree-tops  ;  it  seemed 
to  ])e  sailing  along  the  sky.  Steadily,  steadily, 
but  swiftly  it  held  its  even  course  high  above 
the  woi'ld,  and  all  its  trouljles,  and  naughtiness, 
and  folly,  and  as  Kitty  looked  at  it  her  feet 
seemed  to  move  more  (|uickly.  Every  now  and 
then  her  guai'dian  child  stroked  her  cheek  with 
his  little  pink  wing,  and  whispered,  "  Ilui'ry, 
Kitty,  hurry,  that  Johnnie  may  get  well  on 
Christmas  Day." 

Kitty  did  not  ])ee})  round  to  her  left  shoulder ; 
she  had  made  up  her  mind  not  to  give  so  much 
as  a  G-lance  toward  the  creature  crouchinij:  there. 


IN  THE  WOOD.  163 

It  was  very  quiet  now.  Kitty  would  scarcely 
have  known  it  was  there. 

The  star  ran  along  in  the  sky.  Kitty  ran 
along  on  the  path ;  her  dress  fluttered  ;  her  hair 
streamed  behind  her.  Haste !  haste !  She 
must  be  home  by  Christmas  morning.  She 
must  win  that  Christmas  blessing,  Johnnie's 
health. 

The  road  after  awhile  began  to  grow  very 
steep.  On — on,  Kitty  climbed  bravely,  her 
eyes  fixed  on  the  star,  and  her  guardian  child 
whispered,  "  Well  done,  Kitsy !  well  done, 
Kitsy  !" 

She  fancied  that  as  the  road  grew  steeper  the 
naughty  sprite  seemed  to  be  uneasy  and  on  the 
watch. 

All  at  once  the  road  led  through  the  loneliest, 
shadiest  spot  she  had  ever  seen.  Green  and 
softly  the  light  came  tlirough  a  curtain  of  trees 
that  locked  their  branches  into  each  other. 
There  were  mossy  dells  through  ^vhicll  the  ivy 
crept  and  flowers  spread.  Red  poppies  flashed  ; 
purple  hemlocks  rose  in  clusters  ;  faint-colored 
blossoms  made  a  track  in  the  grass  as  if  the 


]  64  BO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

Milky  Way  liad  fallen  from  the  sky  and 
stretched  there.  A  stream  gurgled  drowsily 
along,  and  dreamy  white  lilies  rocked  softly 
upon  their  leafy  pillows.  There  was  a  drone 
and  bu-zz-zz  of  insects  through  the  air,  and  tlie 
swish  of  a  distant  waterfall  that  might  be  seen 
through  the  trees  like  a  white  curtain  swaying 
softly. 

It  was  just  a  spot  to  lie  down  in  and  doze, 
stretched  upon  the  moss,  with  eyes  shut,  letting 
the  soft  light  rest  upon  the  closed  eyelids. 

Rest !  rest !  rest !  Avas  murmured  in  the  air 
by  the  water,  l)y  the  trees. 

Presently  Kitty  heard  a  most  extraordinary 
sound  that  rose  slowly,  then  fell  gradually.  It 
filled  the  wood — it  was  all  ai'ound  her.  She 
paused  to  listen.  AV^as  it  the  ])l()\ving  of  a 
gigantic  pair  of  lildden  l)ellows  ^  No,  it  could 
not  be.  She  went  on  cautiously,  holding  her 
head  a  little  on  one  side.  It  nuist  l)e  the  wind 
soughing  through  the  branches  of  the  trees  ; 
but  as  not  a  leaf  was  stirring,  or  a  twig  mov- 
ing, Kitty  came  to  the  ccmclusion  it  was  not  the 
wind.     AVhat  could  it  l)c^     Kitty  listened  with 


m  THE  WOOD.  165 

all  lier  ears,  and  she  began  to  distinguisli  that 
there  was  quite  a  chorus  of  sounds.  There 
were  impressive  rumbles  and  quick,  short  pants 
and  deep  mutterings  as  of  wild  beasts  going  on 
together.  Just  as  she  made  this  discovery  she 
gave  a  jump,  for  all  the  noises  ended  in  a  snort, 
as  of  some  fierce  and  furious  animal.  In  a 
moment,  all  around,  Kitty  perceived  the  glare 
of  eyes  gazing  at  her.  She  saw  nothing  but 
eyes — no  noses  or  mouths — nothing  but  eyes. 
Terribly  wide  awake,  these  eyes  gazed  at  her 
with  an  aggressive  stare.  Kitty  felt  fright- 
ened and  apologetic.  She  was  about  to  drop  a 
courtsey,  when,  just  as  suddenly  as  tliey  had 
appeared,  the  eyes  closed  and  vanished.  The 
effect  was  sudden  as  thouo:li  a  thousand  candles 
had  gone  out  together.  Again  the  panting, 
puffing  sound  began  around  her.  "  Well,  it  is 
a  curious  place,"  she  said  ;  "  I  wonder  what  it 
is  called." 

"  Snore  Corner — Sn — ore  Corner,"  said  a  voice 
quite  close  to  her.  It  seemed  like  some  one 
talking  in  sleep,  so  monotonous  was  it.  Kitty 
came    to  a  standstill.     She  peered  about  her. 


166 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


Then   she  sprang  back,  for  she  nearly  struck 

against  something  that  at 
first  she  fancied  was  an 
immense  bat.  It  was 
hanging  with  its  head 
downward  from  the 
branch  of  a  neighboring 
tree.  Looking  closer  Kitty 
saw  it  was  not  a  bat,  but 
a  dwarf  ^vith  round,  green, 
1)1  inking  eyes,  and  dressed 
in  a  mouse-colored  suit. 
She  was  not  sure  whether 
it  ^vas  a  human  creature  ; 
l)ut  as  it  was  han«"in2: 
upside  down  her  perplex- 
ity was  not  to  l)e  wondered 
at.  It  blinked  its  green 
eyes  and  gazed  so  steadily 
and  vacantly  at  her  that 
Kittv  was  not  (piite  sure 
tliat  it  saw  her.  "  AVhy 
do  you  hang  down  like 
that  f  she  timidly  asked. 


IN  THE  WOOD.  167 

"  One  of  us  must  keep  awake,"  answered  the 
creature  in  a  sleepy  voice.  ''  It's  ever  so  mucli 
easier  to  keep  one's  eyes  open  witk  one's  head 
down.     Try  it." 

"  Oh,  but  I  feel  no  difficulty  in  keeping  my 
eyes  open,"  said  Kitty  briskly,  "  unless  I  am 
very  sleepy.  But  doesn't  it  make  your  head 
ache  ?"  she  added  thoughtfully. 

"  I  am  in  a  haze.  You  feel  no  ache  in  a 
haze !"  said  the  creature,  blinking  solemnly. 
"  All  in  a  jumble  and  a  haze — nothing  like  it 
—try  it." 

"  Indeed,  that  is  about  the  very  last  thing  I'd 
care  to  l)e  in ;  in  a  jumble  and  a  haze,"  said 
Kitty  indignantly. 

"  They  would  expect  nothing  of  you  if  you 
were,"  said  the  hanging-do^vn  creature ;  "  for 
if  they  asked  you  a  question  in  history, 
very  likely  grammar  Avould  come  up,  and  for 
arithmetic  perhaps  }'()u''d  gi\e  them  geograph}'. 
Then  they  would  give  up  asking  you  lessons. 
They  ^voldd  say  that  the  lessons  got  all  in  a 
jumble." 

"  I  am  sure  they  would  give  me  more  lessons," 
replied  Kitty. 


168  1)0  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

"  Then  you  would  grow  more  jumbled,  more 
hazy — try  it,"  said  tlie  creature  sleepily. 

Kitty  gave  a  jerk  of  her  head  and  began  to 
walk  slowly  on.  "  It's  no  use  talking  to  such  a 
hazy  creature,"  she  remarked  in  a  mortified 
tone.     "  I  wonder  anIio  he  is  ?" 

"  Goblin  Sloth,"  ^vliispered  the  guardian 
child.     "  Take  care,  take  care  !" 

Kitty  felt  a  dro^vsiness  creep  over  her.  She 
glanced  toward  the  guardian  child ;  he  was 
standing  very  erect,  looking  about,  as  if  on  tlie 
watch  for  something  to  be  ex])ected. 

"  Keep  looking  at  the  star  !  Don't  look 
round  !"  he  murmured  anxiously. 

The  star  was  swiftly  gliding  along  above  the 
tree-tops,  keeping  on  straight  ahead,  over  a  nar- 
row rising  path  that  went  thi'ougli  this  cliarni- 
ing  nook  liollowing  doAvn  on  either  side.  Tlie 
naughty  sprite  was  i-ocking  itself  and  singing 
a  lullaltv  in  a  very  go-to-sleep,  purring  voice, 
'' Hush  a  hyt",  bal)y,  mother  is  by." 

Kitty  lan  along,  struggling  against  the  sleepy 
feeling  tliat  was  stealing  over  her. 

"  Wh}'  in  such  a  huri'v  C  said  a  voice. 


IN  THE  WOOD. 


169 


It  was  a  pleasant  voice.     A  voice  witli  a  sort 
of  oily  gurgle  in  it. 


Kitty  saw  a  short,  round  man  lying  in  the 
moss,  just  by  the  side  of  the  pathway,  his  feet 


1 70  -DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STATES. 

stretched  across  it.  She  must  jump  over  them, 
or  she  must  ask  him  to  remove  them. 

The  man  had  a  mild,  melancholy,  fat  face, 
and  half-closed  peaceful  eyes. 

"  Do  not  stop  !"  said  the  guardian  child. 

"I  am  afraid  you  are  one  of  the  fussy  sort," 
said  the  mild  man  in  an  easy-going  sing-song 
voice. 

"  Would  you  kindly  remove  your  feet  ?  for  I 
am  in  a  very  great  hurry,"  answered  Kitty 
with  decision  and  politeness. 

"  Hurry  !"  sighed  the  mild  man,  not  stirring 
an  inch.  "  What  a  mistake  ! — a  dreadful  mis- 
take— everybody  is  in  a  hurry  nowadays — 
always  in  a  hurry  !"  His  quiet  eyes  rested 
more  and  more  dreamily  upon  Kitty.  They 
seemed  to  forget  what  they  were  looking  at, 
and  to  sluml)er  gently. 

"  I  am  not  always  in  a  hurry,"  Kitty  explained. 
"  But  to-day  I  am  in  a  very  great  luirry," 

"  What  a  mistake !"  snoriugly  sighed  the 
melancholy  fat  man.  "  Nothing  can  be  en- 
joyed in  a  huriy.  Take  the  highest  delight — 
a  yawn  !" 


IN  THE  WOOD.  171 

"  A  yawn  !"  repeated  Kitty,  and  slie  burst  out 
laughing.  The  sense  of  liaste  seemed  falling 
away  from  her. 

"  A  yawn  !"  insisted  the  mild  man,  who  had 
not  removed  his  slumbrous  eyes  from  Kitty's 
face.  "  Only  a  very  few  know  the  pleasure  of 
a  yawn.     There  is  yawning  and  yawning." 

"  Ye — es  !"  yawned  the  naughty  sprite — "  dee 
— li — cious  !" 

"  Do  not  put  off  any  longer  !"  whispered  the 
guardian  child,  pulling  Kitty's  hair  to  wake 
her  up.  But  Kitty  felt  as  if  lead  were  at  her 
heels. 

"  Just  one  moment  and  I'll  make  up  for  the 
delay,"  she  murmured. 

The  flabby  mild  man  continued  speaking  in 
a  monotonous  sorrowful  voice.  "  Very  few 
know  how  to  yawn.  Some  3\awn  only  when 
they  cannot  help  it.  They  slur  it  and  blur  it, 
and  go  to  sleep  over  it.  Some  are  ashamed  of 
yawning  and  conceal  their  faces ;  some" — and 
now  a  flicker  of  reproacliful  animation  bright- 
ened the  dreamy  eyes  of  the  speaker — ^'  yes, 
some  swallow  their  ya^vns." 


172 


nOWIf^  THE  SNOW  STAIR,S. 


%  A-«,  I 


"  I  am  doing  that  now,"  said  Kitty,  who  had 
never  felt  so  drowsy  in  all  her  life.  She  heard, 
as  at  a  distance,  her  guardian  child's  voice 
sighing,  "  The  star  is  disappearing  ! — the  star 
is  disappearing  !" 

"  Come,  give  us  a  lesson  in  real  yawning," 
said  the  naughty  sprite  caressingly. 

"  Real  yawning  requires  time  and  delibera- 
tion," said  the  flabby 
man  in  an  up-and-do^v•n 
voice.  "  You  must  l)e- 
gin  at  the  beginning; 
you  must  cro  on  to  the 
m  J^&0^'^'^  end.    Fii'st  you  will  feel 

a  little  shiver,  like  a 
caress  of  velvet  hands 
on  your  forehead  ;  your 
mouth  will  open,  then  all  your  being  will  seem 
to  grew  larger,  and  wider,  and  longer.  Every 
sense  of  liiiri'v  and  flurry  \\\\\  pass  away  ;  still 
your  mouth  w  ill  o])en  wider  and  widei',  till  it 
comes  to  a  delicious  gape." 

"  Ya — aw — aw — awn  !"  the  naughty  sprite 
was   yawning.     Ilis   ears  dropped    Ijehind  his 


IN  THE  WOOD.  173 

wide-swelling  neck ;  liis  body  was  stretched : 
his  mouth  was — open — open,  showing  all  his 
pointed  ^vdiite  teeth  down  to  his  red  throat. 

"  Ya— aw — aw — awn  !"  the  mild,  flabby, 
dreamy  man  was  yawning,  slowly,  sonorously, 
solemnly, 

Kitty  stretched  out  her  arms  and  yawmed. 

"Ya — aw^a^vn,"  echoed  all  around.  Yawns 
were  everyw-here — in  the  stream,  in  the  trees, 
in  the  flowers — everything  was  yawning  except 
the  guardian  child,  who  pulled  at  Kitty's  hair 
and  Avhispered  more  and  more  eagerly  in  her 
ear : 

"  Do  not  put  off  any  longer.  No  Christmas 
blessing  if  )'ou  put  off." 

''  Put  oft'  !  put  off  !  put  off  !''  drowsily  whis- 
pered the  air  ai'ound  Kitty. 

"  I  am  coming  !"  said  Kitty  ;  but  she  did  not 
stii",  kShe  1)1  inked  away  the  yawn-tears  that 
smarted  lier  eyes.  "  Oh,  dear  !"  she  yawningly 
sighed,  ''  I  should  never  get  to  my  journey's 
end  if  I  remained  here  long." 

"  Dream  that  you  have  reached  the  journey's 
end,"  said  the  mild  man.     "  Day  dreams  are  the 


174  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

only  reality.  Day-dream  lessons  are  lovely. 
School-room  lessons  are  always  wrong,  but  day- 
dream lessons  are  always  right.  No  mistakes 
anywhere,  no  blots  anywhere — fine  flourishes 
to  all  the  letters — all  the  pride  of  school-room 
lessons  well  done — and  no  trouble." 

"  Lovely  day-dream  lessons  !"  drowsily  mur- 
mured the  sprite,  curling  itself  up  in  a  little 
sleepy  heap. 

"  Lovely  day-dream  lessons  !"  murmured 
everything  around. 

"  Lo — V — vely — day-dr — "  began  Kitty,  her 
head  nodding. 

"  No  Christmas — no  blessing — no  Johnnie  !" 
moaned  the  guardian  child. 

Kitty  felt  it  rise  fi'om  her  shoulder — a  sud- 
den fear  woke  lier  up.  She  looked  round  ;  he 
was  fluttering  a^vay,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  star 
that  was  disappearing  l)ehind  the  bi'ow  of  the 
hill.  The  guardian  child  had  lost  all  his  rosi- 
ness  ;  the  little  pink  wings  were  pale  ;  the  rain- 
bow tunic  faded  ;  he  looked  as  Johnnie  looked 
when  Kitty  thought  he  was  dying. 

"  Day-dream  lessons  are  falsehoods,"  shouted 


m  THE  WOOD.  175 

Kitty.  In  a  moment  she  was  wide  awake ;  slie 
had  bounded  over  the  stumpy  legs  that  stretched 
across  the  path. 

As  she  did  so  a  faint  peal  of  Christmas 
sounded  in  her  ear.  The  guardian  child  flut- 
tered back  to  her  shoulder ;  it  perched  there 
light  as  a  bird,  and  at  every  step  Kitty  took  it 
grew  rosier  and  brighter  again.  The  naughty 
sprite  growled. 

The  path  was  very  steep,  but  Kitty  ran 
panting  along.  "  I  nearly  put  off  too  long,"  she 
said  ruefully  when  once  more  she  stood  under 
the  star,  and  she  relaxed  her  speed  to  take 
breath.  "  That  fat  man's  talk  sounded  so 
pleasant." 

"  That  is  the  worst  of  temptations  ;  they  have 
always  so  much  to  say  for  themselves,"  said  the 
guardian  child.  He  spoke  in  a  troubled  voice, 
and  Kitty  noticed  that  he  \vas  standing  up  very 
erect  and  looking  ahead  anxiously. 

The  sprite  had  apparently  got  over  his  ill- 
temper,  and  he  was  now  pleasantly  sniffing 
the  air. 

"  I  wonder  if  there  is  some  danger  coming  !" 


176 


DOWN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 


said  Kitty.     "  I  am  warned,  anyhow.     I  won't 
be  tempted  again." 

Presently  she  perceived  a  little  ])rook  bab- 
bling across  her  path  ;  but  she  ^vas  running  at 
such  speed  she  could  not  stop  herself,  and  at 
one  bound  she  sprang  across  the  stream. 


KITTT  DANCES  WITH  8TBA1SQE  PARTNERS.      177 


CHAPTER  XI. 

KITTY    DANCES    WITH    STRANGE    PARTNERS, 

"  I  AM  beautiful !  Oli,  so,  so  Leautifiil !" 
said  a  hoarse  voice. 

Kitty,  looking  round,  saw — Avell,  slie  could 
not  say  what  sort  of  a  creature  she  saw — as 
she  had  never  seen  one  like  it  before.  It  bore 
a  sort  of  resemblance  to  a  frog,  but  that  was 
perhaps  because  it  wore  a  green  coat  and  a 
bulging  shirt-front ;  then  it  was  a  very  large 
frog,  as  big  as  herself.  It  had  a  human  face — 
a  broad,  bland,  beaming  face — with  a  smile 
that  seemed  to  curl  all  round  it.  In  her  life 
Kitty  had  never  seen  such  a  steady,  satisfied 
smile. 

The  green-coated  creature  wriggled  and 
twisted  itself  till  Kitty  thought  it  would 
wriggle  and  twist  itself  out  of  existence.  On 
beholding  Kitty  it  made  her  a  low^  bow,  and 
said  with  a  flourish  of  its  hand : 


178 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


"  Admire  me  and  1  shall  admire  yon." 

"  Oh,  })ut  I  don't  want  to  be  admired,"  said 


Kitty,    trying  to  smother    a   laugh.     "Indeed, 
indeed,  I  don't  want  to  ])e  admired." 

"  Not  —  want  —  to  —  he  — ad  —  mired  !"  ex- 
claimed the  frog-like  one,  throwing  itself  ])ack, 
sticking  out  its  left  leg,  and   uplifting  its  two 


KITTY  DANCES  WITH  STRANGE  PARTNERS.      179 

arms  in  an  elegant  attitude  of  dismay.  Yet 
for  all  its  dismay  it  continued  to  smile. 

"I  think  it  would  be  dull,"  said  Kitty, 
speaking  slowly  to  keep  her  voice  steady.  "  It 
would  feel  like  having  one's  best  frock  always 
on,  and  being  afraid  of  jumping  about." 

"  But  that  is  the  very  way ;  the  very  only 
way  you  ought  to  strive  to  feel,"  cried  the  frog, 
wringing  its  hands  in  an  agony  of  earnestness ; 
"  always  as  if  you  had  your  best  frock  on." 

"  It  would  be  very  dull,"  said  Kitty  in  a  tone 
of  conviction  ;  "  very  dull !  just  as  if  one  were 
always  sitting  or  standing  for  one's  photo- 
graph." 

"  But  that  is  just  the  way  one  ought  always 
to  sit  or  stand,  as  if  one  were  having  one's 
photograph  taken.  The  very,  very,  very  only 
way."  The  force  of  its  conviction  affected  the 
frog  so  profoundly  that  tears  filled  its  goggle 
eyes ;  still  it  continued  to  smile. 

Kitty  was  wondering  how  it  could  weep  and 
smile,  when  it  put  its  feet  in  the  third  position 
of  dancing  and  made  her  a  low  bow. 

"  You    have  summed  it  all  up  in  two  sen- 


180  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

tences :  to  feel  always  as  if  you  were  wearing 
your  best  frock  and  having  your  photograph 
taken.  That  is  what  we  ought  all  to  strive  to 
feel.  You  understand  me.  Tit  for  tat,  I  un- 
derstand you.    Let  us  dance." 

Kitty  felt  her  finger  tips  taken  by  those  of 
the  frog.  She  did  not  like  to  withdraw  them, 
and  the  next  moment  she  found  herself  dancing 
a  stately  minuet.  Step,  twirl,  bow,  and  courtesy. 
The  l)rook  played  the  accompaniment,  the 
branches  al:)ove  swayed  to  the  measure  of  the 
dance  ;  Kitty  and  her  partner  danced  on.  The 
naughty  sprite  twisted  and  frolicked  with 
them.  Step,  twirl,  bow,  and  courtesy.  In  all 
her  life  Kitty  had  never  made  so  many  cour- 
tesies. 

The  frog's  contortions  grew  more  and  more 
extraordinary,  and  still  the  brook  l)abl)led,  and 
still  the  l)ranclies  swayed  in  tuneful  accom- 
2')animent  to  the  stately  dance. 

AVas  it  her  guardian  child  who  whispered  in 
Kitty's  ear,  "  C^hristmas  Day  !  Christmas  Day  !" 

"  Dance  !  dance !"  said  the  sprite,  skipping 
\\ath  glee.     But  Kitty  stopped  in  the  middle 


KITTY  DANCES  WITH  STRANG E  PARTNERS.     181 

of  a  courtesy,  the  sense  of  hurry  overtook  her. 
"  I  beg  your  pardon/'  she  said ;  "  I  must  stop 
dancing  now." 


Her  frog-like  partner  took  no  notice.  Step, 
wrio'o'le,  bow,  he  went  on  as  if  he  did  not  liear, 
and  Kitty  walked  away.  When  she  turned  to 
lt)()k  the  creature  was  still  twisting,  stepping, 
bo\vinir. 


182  DO  WIT  THE  SNOW  8TAIES. 

"  Conceited  thino; !"  she  muttered.  "  He  is 
so  filled  up  with  himself  he  does  not  miss  me. 
He  does  not  know  even  that  I  am  gone.  I 
wonder  what  he  is  ?" 

"  Goblin  Vanity,"  whispered  her  guardian 
child.     "Take  care!" 

Kitty  now  gave  a  cry  of  surprise  as  she  saw 
the  prettiest  garden.  It  stood  to  the  left  in 
a  hollow,  away  from  the  path  over  which 
brooded  the  star.  It  was  such  a  quaint,  sweet 
garden,  full  of  flower-beds  and  laid  out  in  smooth 
lawns,  and  bowers,  and  lovely  hide-and-go-seek 
places. 

A  glass  palace  glittered  at  a  little  distance. 
A  fountain  tossed  its  bright  waters  like  a  silver 
plume ;  s^vans  swam  in  and  out  of  the  spray, 
peacocks  strutted  on  the  greensward.  Kitty 
thought  she  had  never  in  all  her  life  seen  a 
garden  so  inviting.  The  sound  of  delightful 
musical  boxes  tinkled  from  afar.  All  at  once  a 
crowd  of  cliildren  came  dancing  out  of  the  glass 
palace.  They  looked  like  fairies,  their  dresses 
were  so  glittering,  their  movements  so  graceful. 
They  all  beckoned  to  Kitty. 


KITTY  DANCES  WITH  8TRAN0E  PARTNERS.    183 

"  Dp  not  look  toward  tliem  !  Look  to  tlie 
star  !"  whispered  tlie  guardian  child. 

"  Bother  the  star  !  What  harm  is  there  in 
looking  toward  that  pretty  garden  and  those 
merry  children  V  muttered  the  sprite. 

Suddenly  there  appeared  on  the  path  a  step 
or  two  in  front  of  Kitty — she  could  not  tell 
how  he  came  there  or  whence  he  came — the 
prettiest  little  boy.  He  had  a  rosy  mouth  and 
laughing  blue  eyes.  He  wore  a  white  suit  all 
embroidered  in  flowers  of  lovely  tints  ;  his  hair 
was  frizzed  and  curled. 

"  We  are  all  waiting  for  you,"  he  said  in  a 
coaxing  voice,  stretching  out  his  hand  to  her. 

"  For  me  !"  exclaimed  Kitty,  very  much  sur- 
prised. 

The  boy  took  her  hand.  She  Avas  so  much 
astonished  that  she  did  not  hear  her  guardian 
child  sighing  in  her  ear,  '^  Beware  !  beware  !"  or 
feel  the  sprite  dancing  on  her  left  shoulder. 

Before  she  kne^v  \\\mi  she  was  doing  she  was 
running  down  into  tlie  garden.  The  moment 
she  reached  it  the  S(jund  of  nuisical  boxes  burst 
out  louder  ;  she  Avas  surrounded  by  little  b'^.ys 


184  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

and  girls  who  looked  at  lier  with  sparkling 
eyes.  Indeed,  it  seemed  to  Kitty  that  every- 
thing looked  at  her :  the  peacocks  on  the  sward, 
the  swans  on  the  water,  the  birds  hovering  in 
the  air  or  peeping  down  from  the  branches, 
looked  at  her ;  the  flowers  and  grasses  stood  up 
on  tiptoe  to  gaze  at  her.  She  felt  quite  un- 
comfortable at  attracting  so  much  attention ; 
she  wished  she  had  not  gone  out  in  that  old 
school-room  blue  serge  go^vn,  and  that  the 
blots  on  her  holland  pinafore  were  not  so  very 
conspicuous. 

But  no  one  seemed  to  mind  her  shabby  ap- 
pearance. On  the  contrary,  everybody  and 
everything  was  bowing  to  her.  The  children 
bowed,  the  peacocks  bo^ved  ;  the  swans,  the 
trees,  the  flo\vers,  tlie  grass  bowed. 

"Why  are  tliey  all  Ijowing?"  asked  Kitty. 

"  They  are  all  bo^ving  to  you  because  you 
are  the  prettiest  little  girl  in  all  the  world," 
answered  her  guide.  lie  said  it  very  seriously, 
and  he  looked  at  her  with  admiriuf;^  brio-ht 
eves;  everything  and  everyl)()dy  murmured, 
bowing   lower   and    lower  before   her,    "  The 


KITTY  DANCES  WFTH  STRANGE  PARTNERS.    185 


prettiest  little  girl  in  all  the  world."  Kitty 
was  not  sure  wlietlier  she  was  standing  on  her 
head  or  on  her  heels.  Her  cheeks  grew  as  red 
as  two  red  roses. 

"  De—e— light     *" 
—  ful    to  be   so 
pretty  !"    mur- 


mured the  naughty  sprite,  striking  an  attitude, 
setting  its  left  paw  on  its  hip,  and  rolling  its 

eyes. 


186  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

"  Do  not  believe  what  they  are  saying.  You 
have  freckles  and  a  little  cocked  nose,"  whis- 
pered the  guardian  child. 

Kitty  felt  her  nose  to  feel  if  it  w^as  really 
cocked ;  it  was  cocked. 

"  That  glass  palace  is  mine.  The  walls  are 
made  of  mirrors.  You  will  see  there  how 
beautiful  you  are,"  said  the  boy,  who  still  held 
her  hand. 

"  In  the  glass  palace  you  will  see,"  cried  the 
children. 

They  joined  hands  round  Kitty  and  danced 
more  and  more  gayly,  more  and  moi'e  quickly. 
The  music  grew  merrier,  and  the  sound  seemed 
to  get  into  Kitty's  head  and  into  her  feet.  It 
set  them  dancing  and  made  her  feel  giddy, 
liittle  joy  bells  seemed  beating  in  her  ears. 
They  ^vere  not  Christmas  bells.  '^Tlie  prettiest 
little  girl  in  all  the  world  !"  tliey  seemed  to 
rino;  accaiii  and  ao-aiii,  Ijackwanl  and  foi'ward,  so 
that  slie  could  not  hear  the  guardian  child's 
sigh, '' Silly,  silly  Kitty  !" 

The  boy  pulled  her  along,  the  dancers  pressed 
around  her  and  pushed  her  softly  toward  the 
glass  palace. 


KITTY  DANCES  WITH  STRANGE  PARTNERS     187 

There  came  a  sound  of  singing. 

"  Listen,"  said  the  boy ;  "  everything  is  sing- 
ing about  you." 

Sure  enough,  the  children,  the  birds,  the 
breeze,  the  peacocks,  the  swans,  the  grasshop- 
pers, sang,  murmured,  screamed,  hummed  : 

"  Do  you  know  the  violet's  hue? 

Do  you  know  the  heart's-ease  dyes? 
Brighter,  deejDer  is  the  blue 
Shining  in  sweet  Kitty's  eyes." 

"  Violets  !"  murmured  Kitty ;  ^'  and  Cousin 
Charlie  said  they  were  no  bluer  than  skimmed 
milk." 

"  Have  you  seen  the  marigold 

Glowing  in  the  sunshine  fair? 
It  is  dim  when  you  behold 

Sunshine  caught  in  Kitty's  hair." 

"  And  nurse  keeps  calling  it  a  mop  !"  Kitty 
muttered  with  some  indignation. 

"  Just  like  her,"  grunted  tlie  naughty  sprite. 
"  But  we  are  now  ^vitli  people  ^vho  appreciate 
us." 

Kitty  was  so  absorbed  thinking  of  how  little 


188 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STATUS. 


nurse  and  Cousin  Charlie  admired  her  that  she 
missed  the  next  verse,  until  it  came  to  the  last 
line,  then  she  heard : 


■'  j: 


/^ 


"  Tliis  is  Kitty's  dainty  nose." 

'^Oh!   I    wisli    I    ]i;i(1   lieard  whattliey  sang 
aljout  my  nose,"  she  exclaimed  I'egretfully, 


KITTY  DANCES  WITH  STBANOE  PARTNERS.    189 

"  Youl'  dear  funny  cocked  nose,"  whispered 
Johnnie's  voice  a  long  way  off. 

Kitty  started.  How  faint  her  guardian  child 
had  become.  He  was  just  a  pale,  glimmering, 
hovering  figure. 

"  That  is  a  false  song  you  are  singing.  My 
eyes  are  not  violets,  my  hair  is  not  gold,  my 
nose  is  not — "  Kitty  stopped  breathless  ;  she 
had  not  heard  what  they  had  sung  about  her 
nose. 

'^  Resist !  resist !"  cried  the  guardian  child, 
who  had  flown  Ijack  to  her  shoulder. 

"  Resist  those  kind  children,  who  admire 
you  !"  growled  the  sprite  I'eproachfully. 

"  Pretty  Kitty  ! — our  Queen  Kitty  !"  cried  all 
the  dancers. 

AVitli  a  laugh  they  lifted  Kitty  from  her  feet 
and  carried  her  to^vard  the  palace.  As  she 
approached  she  caught  sight  of  her  face  reflect- 
ed on  a  sunflower.  She  sa^v  the  sprite  stand- 
ing up  very  straight  on  her  left  shoulder,  with 
chest  puffed  out,  and  head  perked  jauntily  on 
one  side.  She  thought  of  the  vain  children  in 
Punishment  Land. 


190  l>0  WN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

"  Help  me  !  lielp  me  !"  she  cried  to  her  guard- 
ian child,  struggling  to  her  feet  and  begin- 
ning to  strike  out  right  and  left  and  on  every 
side. 

'  Valiantly  the  guardian  child  answered  her 
cry.  With  his  rosy  wings,  with  his  tiny  hands 
he  fought  for  her,  and  the  tempting  children 
fell  hack ;  sometimes  closing  round  her  again 
to  whisper  "  Pretty  Kitty,  pretty  Kitty."  The 
sprite  whispered,  "You  are  pretty,  you  are 
pretty,"  and  tried  to  hold  back  her  hands  in 
the  fight. 

But  still  she  struggled,  and  still  her  guardian 
child  helped  ;  until  at  last  she  found  herself, 
all  bruised,  standing  in  the  narrow  ascending 
path  over  which  hung  the  star. 

"  We  are  in  time,  Kitsy  !  we  are  in  time  !" 
the  guardian  child  sang  happily,  pointing  to 
the  star,  and  again  there  came  on  her  ear  that 
peal  of  distant  Christmas  l)ells. 

"  Silly  !"  hissed  the  naughty  sprite. 

"  I  shall  never  stray  from  the  right  patli 
again— never  !"  said  Kitty,  wiping  away  some 
repentant   tears.     "  I  can't  understand  myself 


KITTY  DANCES  WITH  STRANGE  PARTNERS.     191 

likings  that  silly  song.  I  was  really  beginning 
to  believe  I  was  quite  beautiful." 

And  Love's  words  came  to  her  mind :  "  If 
you  put  off,  it  may  be  easy  at  first  to  resume 
the  way ;  but  it  becomes  more  and  more  dif- 
ficult, and  it  might  be  impossible." 

"  No.  I  shall  never  leave  the  right  path 
again,"  she  repeated,  with  great  emphasis. 
"  Never." 

She  hurried  along  once  more.  She  ran,  oh, 
so  fast  !  It  was  like  a  race  between  the  star 
gliding  al)ove  the  tree-tops  and  the  little  feet 
speeding,  hastening  along  the  path  below. 

"  Oh,  what  a  delicious  smell  !"  she  suddenly 
exclaimed,  opening  wide  her  nostrils  and  taking 
a  deep  sniff.     Then  she  gave  a  great  start. 


192  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


And  well  she  might  start,  for  in  the  midst  of 
a  kind  of  steamy  odor,  like  the  essence  of  fifty 
kitchens  of  fifty  hotels,  added  to  fifty  pastry 
cooks'  shops  and  fifty  fruit  gardens  in  the  sun, 
she  heard  a  gurgle  which  turned  into  a  voice. 

"  Good  to  eat  !  Roasted,  stewed,  boiled — 
which  shall  it  be  ?"  said  some  one  who  2)opped 
out  and  laid  a  hand  with  such  suddenness  upon 
her  shoulder  that  Kitty  almost  dropped  with 
fright. 

The  ci'eature  who  held  her  so  tight  was 
dressed  from  head  to  foot  in  white  linen ;  he 
woi'e  an  apron  and  white  cap  like  a  French 
cook.  He  twirled  a  knife,  and  looked  at  Kitty 
with  a  pair  of  l)loodshot  eyes.  Ilis  cheeks  were 
purple  and  pendulous,  his  figure  was  flabby 
and  fat ;  it  suggested  two  suet  puddings  placed 


Apple-Ple  Corner.— Page  193. 


"  EAT  OR  BE  EA TEN."  193 

on  tljie  top  of  eacli  other,  and  set  upon  a  pair 
of  legs.  What  with  his  pendulons  cheeks  and 
his  bloodshot  eyes,  he  reminded  Kitty  of  an 
overfed  pug  dog. 

"  Indeed,  I  am  not  at  all  good  to  eat — not  in 
any  way,"  said  Kitty  with  an  attempt  at  dignity, 
but  in  a  quavering  voice. 

"  If  you're  not  good  to  eat,  then  you  are 
ready  to  eat.  Eat  or  be  eaten — that  is  all  life 
in  a  nut-shell."     The  creature  chuckled. 

Kitty  felt  rather  nervous  under  the  glance 
of  his  rolling  red  eyes,  so  slie  did  not  like  to 
suggest  there  was  something  else  to  be  done 
than  to  eat  or  be  eaten. 

"  Would  you  please  tell  me,"  she  said  polite- 
ly, "  where  this  road  leads  to  V 

"  AVliere  to  !  why,  to  a  lot  of  places.  Apple- 
pie  Corner  —  Vanilla-cream  Pond  —  Almond- 
rock  Valley — Barley-sugar  Field— Chocolate 
Pavilion  —  lawn  tennis  with  plum-pudding 
balls—" 

"  Oh,  don't — don't !"  cried  Kitty,  putting  up 
her  hands  to  her  ears.  "  It  sounds  as  if  the 
world  were  nothing'  but  a  bio;  dinner-table." 


194  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

"  You've  hit  it  to  a  T  !  A  big  dinner-table 
— with  everything  in  it  eating  or  being  eaten," 
and  the  creature  panted  out  his  words. 

"  Pray,"  said  Kitty,  jerking  her  head  back, 
"  would  you  let  me  pass  ?  I  am  in  such  a 
hurry." 

"  Not  till  you  have  chosen  what  you  will 
do — eat  or  be  eaten,"  said  the  creature  hoarsely. 

"  Well,  of  course,  I  had  rather  eat,"  said 
Kitty  reluctantly. 

"  Pass  on,  then  !"  said  the  being  of  the  pendu- 
lous cheeks,  loosing  his  grasp.  And  then  as 
Kitty  ran  along  she  heard  him  puffing,  panting, 
rumbling  out : 

"  Eat  or  be  eaten — eat  or  be  eaten." 

"  What  an  old  prose  he  is  !"  tliought  Kitty. 
"  One  idea  goes  a  long  way  with  him.  If  he  is 
a  goblin,  they  should  call  him  'Gobbling' 
Greediness," 

"  Goblin  Greediness.  Take  care  !"  whispered 
the  guardian  child. 

"  Oh  I''  cried  Kitt}',  laughing,  "  I  need  only 
think  of  his  fat,  Habby  cheeks  and  his  blood- 
shot eyes  to  lose  all  care  for  eating,  ^vere  I  ever 
so  hungry  !" 


"EAT  OR  BE  EATEN."  195 

The  air  seemed  to  be  made  up  of  tlie  scent 
of  everything  she  liked  best — ripe  strawberries 
and  vanilla- cream,  with  a  touch  of  pine-apples 
and  peach.  All  at  once  there  came  a  great 
puff  of  chocolate  perfume. 

"  Lo — ove — ly  !"  sighed  Kitty,  shutting  her 
eyes  and  sniffing. 

"  Ex — eel — lent !"  chuckled  the  naughty 
sprite,  opening  its  nose. 

"  Shut  your  nose,"  whispered  the  guardian 
child  anxiously. 

Kitty  laughed.  She  thought  it  was  just  a 
little  exacting  of  the  guardian  child  to  advise 
her  to  shut  lier  nose.  What  harm  could  there 
be  in  a  perfume,  especially  if  in  smelling  it  she 
kept  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  star,  and  she  did 
not  stray  from  the  path  ? 

The  odor  grew  more  and  more  enticing.  She 
took  in  deeper  and  deeper  breaths  of  that  smell 
of  ripe  sunlighty  fruit  with  an  entrancing 
suggestion  of  burnt  almonds  stealing  upon  the 
breeze. 

'■'■  It  is  danjT-erous  !  it  is  dans^erous  !  Think 
of  the  Christmas  blessing;  for  Johnnie  !     Think 


196  DOWN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

of  the  fog  picture  of  the  greedy  cliildren !" 
murmured  the  guardian  child  restlessly. 

"  Oh  !  what  harm  can  there  be  in  smelling  a 
taste  ?"  laughed  Kitty,  with  a  confident  glance 
first  at  the  glistening  little  figure  standing  erect 
and  watchful  on  her  right  shoulder,  then  giving 
a  peep  round  to  the  sprite,  who  was  snifiing  with 
a  look  of  expectation. 

"  You  are  not  hungry  !  you  are  not  thirsty  !" 
whispered  the  guardian  child. 

The  naughty  sprite  jogged  Kitty's  cheek  in 
a  fi'iendly  fashion,  and  pointed  with  its  furry 
paw.  She  gave  a  sidelong  look  in  the  direc- 
tion it  indicated.  Then  she  paused  in  amaze- 
ment. Was  it  fruit-country  they  were  going 
through  ?  No  wonder  it  smelled  so  sweet !  Hot- 
house fruit  and  garden  fruit  grew  together  in 
glowing  profusion.  Thei'e  were  fields  of  straw- 
Lerry-l)eds,  ^vhere  the  red  ])erries  shone  like 
elfin  lanterns  through  the  fresli  green  leaves. 
There  ^v■ere  plantations  of  bananas,  and  each 
banana  Avas  like  a  hatchet  of  gold.  Tliere  were 
martial-looking  })ine-apples  burnislied  like  cop- 
per helmets,  guarded  by  pale-green  swords  of 


" EAT  OR  BE  EATEN."  197 

spiky  leaves.  Enormous  bunclies  of  grapes 
hung  down,  each  grape  big  as  a  plum  ;  purple 
grapes,  grapes  blue  on  one  side,  redly  trans- 
parent on  the  other ;  white  grapes  golden  and 
gleaming.  And  oh  !  the  peaches  and  the  nec- 
tarines were  as  plentiful  as  blackberries. 

A  thousand  tiny  voices  seemed  to  be  calling 
to  Kitty  in  audible  gusts  of  perfume :  "  Eat 
us  !  taste  us  !  with  the  touch  of  sunshine  upon 
us !" 

"Is  there  any  any  harm  to  pluck  and  eat 
some  of  that  delicious  fruit  V  asked  Kitty,  who 
had  never  felt  such  a  desire  to  set  her  teeth  in 
a  juicy  peach. 

"  No  Christmas  !  no  blessino; !  no  Johnnie  !  if 
you  loiter,"  murnuired  the  guardian  child. 
"You  are  not  in  need  of  food.  You  are  not 
hungry — you  are  not  thirsty — it  would  be 
greediness." 

"  Suck  !"  said  the  naughty  sprite.  He  had 
plucked  an  enormous  stra^v^berry  and  put  it  to 
Kitty's  mouth. 

"  Don't !"  whispered  the  guardian  child. 

Kitty  looked  up  impatiently.     His  eyes  were 


198  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

fixed  on  the  star.  He  looked  so  bright,  so 
good,  so  like  Johnnie,  Kitty  felt  ashamed  and 
put  the  strawberry  aside. 

"  Silly  !"  hissed  the  naughty  sprite. 

"  Christmas  blessing  !  Christmas  blessing  !" 
laughed  the  guardian  child  as  Kitty  set  off 
running  up  the  narrow  path,  closing  her  eyes 
not  to  see  the  tempting  fruit. 

A  sound  of  many  feet  made  lier  open  her  eyes. 

Helter !  skelter  !  a  crowd  of  children  w^ere 
bounding  along,  all  in  one  direction,  laughing 
as  they  went. 

"  Only  a  few  steps  more  !  only  a  few  steps 
more  !"  murmured  the  guardian  child. 

"  And  we'll  be  out  of  tlie  pleasantest,  sweet- 
est -  smelling,  merriest  phice,"  growled  the 
naughty  sprite,  with  a  great  roll  of  rrs  and  hiss 
of  ss. 

One  boy  lingered  behind  the  other  children. 
He  was  a  jovial-looking  little  fellow  with 
t^vinkling  blue  eyes  squeezed  up  into  his  ruddy 
cheeks,  the  corners  of  his  lips  curled  up  com- 
fortably. He  had  a  comical  friendly  air;  he 
reminded  Kitty  of  a  child  Father  Christmas. 


"  EAT  OR  BE  EATEN." 


199 


"  Yoji  are  going  the  wrong  way  for  the  big 
pie,"  lie  said,  in  a  voice  tliat  sounded  like  a 


deep    rich   murmur.     It   was    a    comfortable, 
suetty  sort  of  a  voice. 

"  The  big  pie  !"  replied  Kitty,  surprised  and 
interested.    The  naughty  sprite  gave  a  caper. 


200  DOWN  THE  SNOW  STATUS. 

"  Do  not  loiter !"  whispered  the  guardian 
cMld. 

"  The  biggest  pie  that  ever  was  made,  and 
the  best.  Such  a  pie !"  cried  the  boy.  He 
gathered  his  fat  finger-tips  in  a  bunch,  kissed 
them  and  spread  them  open  in  the  air,  as  if 
words  failed  to  describe  that  pie. 

"  I  am  following  the  star,"  Kitty  remarked 
in  a  depressed  but  resolute  tone. 

"  Time  enough  after  you  have  had  a  slice  of 
pie,"  whispered  the  sprite  insinuatingly. 

"  Look  !  the  star  is  passing  away,"  urged  the 
guardian  child. 

"  I'll  think  you're  an  affected  silly,"  said  the 
boy. 

"  1  am  not  an  affected  silly,"  cried  Kitty, 
turning  very  red. 

"  Come  along,  then." 

Kitty  felt  her  palm  and  fingers  rolled  up  in 
a  soft  ^varnl  pudding  of  a  liand,  and  she  allowed 
herself  to  be  dragged  along. 

What  a  run  that  was  !  The  grapes  touched 
her  lips  as  she  passed  like  silken  fingers,  the 
bananas  gave  delicious  blows  to  her  cheeks, 


"  EAT  OR  BE  EATEN."  201 

the  peaclies  caressed  her  with  their  velvet  skins, 
the  cherries  pelted  her. 

She  passed  by  a  brown  pool  of  chocolate- 
cream,  in  which  ladies'  fingers  stood  up  like 
reeds.  She  ran  across  a  field  where  barley- 
sugar  grew,  and  crystallized  wild  flowers.  She 
came  to  a  valley  strewn  with  immense  lumps 
like  bowlders  of  almond-rock. 

There  the  great  table  was  set,  under  a  pa- 
vilion made  of  gingerbread.  The  pie  rose  in 
the  center.  It  was  an  immense  pie,  as  big  as  a 
one-story  house  with  its  roof  on,  and  it  was  all 
angles  and  bulges.  It  was  white  with  sugar. 
All  around  it  was  clustered  every  dainty  that 
could  be  imao-ined. 

Children  smacking  their  lips  were  assembled, 
and  the  moment  the  fat  boy  took  his  seat  at 
tlie  head  of  the  table,  with  Kitty  at  his  right 
hand,  they  all  began  to  hel})  themselves. 

Kitty's  fingers  itched  to  close  over  the  deli- 
cious, crisp,  sugary  morsels  spread  near  her. 

"  Don't  !"  sio-lied  tlie  o-uardian  child  each 
time  she  stretched  out  her  hand. 

The    naughty    sprite    licked    its   lips   and 


202  -DO  WIf  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

smacked  its  tongue.  It  was  all  in  a  tremble  of 
delight,  and  repeated  the  names  of  all  tlie  good 
things  around  in  a  most  expressive  tone,  that 
seemed  to  bring  their  flavor  to  Kitty's  mouth. 
More  and  more  she  longed  for  delicious  things 
to  eat  and  drink.  Yet  every  time  her  hand 
was  stretched  out  to  snatch  at  something  near 
her — 

"  Don't  !"  murmured  the  guardian  child. 

"  Eat,  drink,  and  never  mind,"  urged  the 
sprite  in  a  jovial,  don't-care  manner. 

Kitty  shook  her  head,  as  if  shaking  off  the 
thought  of  consequences.  She  would  eat.  She 
stretched  out  her  hand  ;  it  closed  upon  a  big, 
crisp  sugar-plum.     She  put  it  to  her  mouth. 

The  naughty  sprite  crouched  like  a  pouncing 
pussy. 

"  Greedy,  greedy  !  No  Christmas  !  No 
Johnnie  !  No  blessing  !"  sighed  a  breath  in 
her  ear. 

Kitty  looked  up  ;  her  guardian  child,  pale  as 
a  ghost,  was  vanishing  away,  but  still  his  eyes 
were  turned  toward  her.  They  were  Johnnie's 
eyes. 


'^EAT  OB  BE  EATEN."  203 

She  propped  the  sugar-plum.  "  No,  no  !"  she 
cried,  springing  to  her  feet.  "  I  shall  not  eat ; 
I  shall  not  drink  !" 

There  was  a  great  scuffle  round  her;  the 
guests  had  started  to  their  feet. 

Kitty  clapped  her  hands  against  her  ears, 
not  to  hear  her  naughty  sprite  crying  out 
"  Silly,  silly !"  She  was  surrounded  Ly  the 
children ;  they  tried  to  force  sweet,  cool 
fruit  and  sugar-plums  between  her  lips.  All 
the  while  that  craving  for  good  things  that 
^vas  not  liuno;er  or  thirst  fouo-ht  agj-ainst  her 
like  a  wolf ;  but  she  w  ent  blindly  on  resist- 
ing. 

How  lono;  the  struo:2:le  lasted  she  could  not 
tell,  l)ut  all  at  once  Kitty  knew  her  enemies 
had  left  her. 

That  faint  peal  of  distant  Christmas  bells 
again  sounded  in  her  ear,  and  looking  up 
she  found  herself  on  the  steep  and  narrow  path, 
the  star  shining  above  her. 

"  Conquered  !  conquered  !  Good  old  Kitsy  ! 
good  old  Kitsy  !"  sang  her  guardian  child,  in 
the  old  familiar  comfortiuii;  words,  as  he  fanned 


204 


BOWIf  TEE  SNOW  STAIMS. 


her  with  his  rosy  wings.     He  seemed  brighter, 
rosier  than  ever. 


The  sprite  glared  at  her  with  wild  eyes,  full 
of  disappointment. 


"  EAT  OB  BE  EATEN,"  205 

"  I  shall  never  reach  my  journey's  end," 
cried  Kitty,  bursting  into  tears.  "  If  I  could 
but  rest  a  little  while — just  a  little  while — 
before  going  on  further  through  that  dreadful 
wood." 

"  Look,  you  may  rest ;  the  star  has  stopped," 
said  her  guardian  child,  pointing. 


306  I>0  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PLAY-GEOUND,  AND  AFTEK. 

It  was  the  prettiest  spot  in  that  grim  forest ; 
it  appeared  so  peaceful  and  bright.  Blackberry 
and  wild-raspberry  bushes,  on  which  the  fruit 
shone  glossy  and  ripe,  grew  all  around  ;  a  spring 
gurgled  up  from  a  bed  of  moss.  The  gi'ass, 
patterned  over  with  wild-flowers,  was  more 
lovely  than  any  carpet  woven  by  man.  Some 
one  had  spread  upon  it  a  little  feast :  there  was 
a  jug  of  milk,  bread  and  butter,  and  honey  and 
cakes. 

Kitty  wondered  who  was  coming  to  feast  on 
these  simple  dainties,  for  though  she  peered 
through  the  bushes  she  saw  nol)ody.  Yet 
someljody  had  found  a  delightful  place  for  a 
picnic. 

"  Eat,"  said  the  guardian  child. 


PLAT-QROUND,  AND  AFTER.  207 

"  Bii,t  why  may  I  eat  here,  when  I  could  not 
eat  there  ?"  asked  Kitty. 

"  You  want  food,  and  the  star  has  stayed  to 
let  you  rest.  You  will  not  l)e  greedy  if  you 
eat  now.  You  will  be  innocent  and  good  ;  so 
long  as  the  star  watches  there  is  no  danger  of 
evil." 

Kitty  sat  down,  and  tlie  guardian  child  came 
down  and  became  her  little  host.  He  offered 
her  fruit  and  honey ;  he  gathered  blackl^erries 
for  her.  Perhaps  the  naughty  sprite  was  sulk- 
ing ;  perhaps  it  was  sleeping  ;  it  did  not  move, 
but  lay  curled  up  in  a  little  ball. 

Kitty  ate  and  drank.  Tlie  birds  hopped 
about  her ;  the  S(piirrels  peeped  at  her  from 
the  branches ;  a  field-mouse  eyed  her  with  its 
bright  and  furtive  glance ;  a  cro\vd  of  lovely 
wild  things  Avatched  her.  The  shy  creatures 
drew  around  the  guardian  child ;  they  seemed 
to  know  he  was  Love's  messenger.  He  sang, 
and  the  birds  sang  in  answer.  A  little  calloAV, 
yellow-beaked  nestling  had  fallen  out  of  its  nest, 
and  was  crying  piteously.  Had  it  lost  its 
motlier  I     The  guardian  child  fed  it  and  gentl}' 


208  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  ST  A  IRS. 

put  it  back  into  its  mossy  cradle.  It  was  the 
friendliest  scene.  All  around  the  coral-eyed 
pimpernels  were  wide  open. 

"  It  mil  be  line  weather,"  said  the  guardian 
child.  "  They  are  play-ground's  weather-clock. 
The  sun  whispers  to  them  what  it  means  t(^  do 
during  the  day.  Tick,  tick  ;  these  are  i)lay- 
ground's  clock,"  he  went  on,  pointing  to  l)ell- 
like  blossoms,  some  tight-closed,  others  half-un- 
ch)sed,  others  wide  open.  "  They  tell  the  liour. 
Tlie  wind  winds  them  up.  Hush  !  listen  to  the 
tick-tick  of  the  leaves." 

AVhen  Kitty  had  rested  awhile,  she  and  her 
guardian  child  began  to  i)lay  together.  They 
blew  bul)l)les  througli  long  reeds,  and  rainljow- 
tinted  pictures  seemed  to  form  on  the  l)ubbles. 
Kitty  looked  to  see  what  these  pictures  were, 
but  they  faded  away  and  l)r()ke  before  she  was 
quite  sure  that  she  had  made  them  out.  They 
ran  races  together.  Kitty  thought  she  never 
had  so  merry  and  gentle  a  play-fellow  as  her 
guardian  child  ;  and  as  they  played  together  he 
seemed  to  grow  more  aii<l  more  like  Johnnie. 
The   wild  woodland  animals  frisked  and   "•am- 


PLAT -GROUND,  AND  AFTER.  209 

boled  xabout  tliem ;  butterflies  and  dragon-flies 
darted  around.  Kitty  tliouglit  it  was  just  like 
the  story  of  the  blue  rose  come  true,  and 
that  Play-ground  Land  was  the  mysterious 
garden  she  had  imagined. 

When  the  games  seemed  merriest  the  Love 
spirit  suddenly  stopped  playing,  and  perched 
once  more  upon  Kitty's  shoulder. 

"  Look  !"  he  said,  pointing  upward.  "  The 
star  is  moving." 

Yes,  the  fiery  heart  of  tlie  star  had  begun  to 
beat,  and  already  it  was  beginning  to  glide  over 
the  tree-tops. 

"  Oh  !"  Kitty  exclaimed  in  dismay,  "  cannot 
we  play  a  little  longer  ?" 

Just  at  that  moment  the  loveliest  butterfly 
twinkled  past.  It  looked  like  a  flower  on 
wdngs.  Because  the  dance  had  not  got  out  of 
Kitty's  toes  she  began  to  dance  after  it, 

A  little  girl  now  dashed  out  of  the  wood. 
She  had  the  liveliest  face,  the  whitest  teeth,  the 
merriest  eyes  Kitty  had  ever  seen.  Golden 
bells  tinkled  on  her  pointed  cap  and  on  her  dress. 
Tinkle,  tinkle  went   those  golden  bells  us  she 


210  DOWN  THR  SNOW  STATUS. 

ran.  Slie  seized  Kitty  by  tlie  hand,  and  before 
Kitty  coiild  say  yes  or  no,  she  found  herself 
running  with  her  hand  clasped  in  that  of  the 
strange  child, 

Kitty  had  never  run  so  fast ;  the  breeze 
seemed  to  run  with  her ;  the  carpet  of  soft  moss 
seemed  to  speed  them  along  ;  the  birds  seemed 
to  say,  "  Quick,  quick ;  who'll  go  faster,  our 
wings  or  your  feet  ?" 

The  sprite  sniffed  the  woodland  air  with  im- 
mense satisfaction  ;  it  was  as  wide  awake  now 
as  it  had  been  fast  asleep  before. 

The  guardian  child  whispered  in  Kitty's  ear, 
"  Enough,  enough  ;  you  have  played  enough." 

The  star  glided  in  tlie  sky  over  the  narrow 
path  that  stretclied  away  like  a  straight  white 
ribbon  under  the  forest  trees. 

At  last  Kitty  stopped,  out  of  breath,  at  the 
foot  of  a  brandling  tree.  A  little  bird  caroled 
above  a  merry  song. 

"  I  wonder  if  it  has  a  musical  box  or  a  whistle 
in  its  throat.  AVould  you  not  like  to  open  it 
to  find  out  ?"  said  Kitty's  new  play -fellow,  shak- 
ing the  golden  bells  in  her  cap. 


PLAT-GEOUND,  AND  AFTER.  211 

"  Yes — no — I  don't  knoAv,"  panted  Kitty,  wlio 
was  so  much  out  of  breath  she  had  not  a  notion 
what  she  was  saying,  or  if  she  was  standing  on 
her  head  or  her  heels. 

Again  the  beautiful  butterfly  she  had  seen 
twinkled  past  on  its  wings  like  flowers. 

''  Catch  it  !"  cried  the  little  girl,  seizing 
Kitty's  hand  once  more,  and,  willy-nilly,  away 
she  was  speeding  again.  Run — run — through 
the  alleys  and  glades  of  the  deep  forest ;  run — 
run — across  a  park -like  cleai'ance,  and  still  the 
butterfly  fluttered  before.  Like  a  will-o'-the- 
wisp  it  Avent,  up  and  do^vn,  now  here,  no^v^ 
there,  ah\'ays  before  them.  Settling  down  a 
moment — then  oif  ao-ain  iust  as  thev  neared  it. 
To  the  ri<»-ht— to  the  left — Kitty  was  be^-inninoj 
to  feel  angry  at  the  dance  that  butterfly  was 
leading  them.  The  oftener  it  escaped  the  more 
determined  she  gre^v"  to  catch  it.  She  was  so 
eager  that  she  did  not  hear  the  warning  sigli 
of  her  guardian  child,  "  It  is  so  happy  ;  it  is  so 
happy.  Don't  hurt  it  !"  She  heard  only  the 
shrill  cry  of  the  naughty  sprite  standing  on  her 
left  shoulder  and  shrieking,  "  At  it  now  !     Up 


212  -DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

with  it  !  Now's  your  time  !  Now  you've  got 
it !     Tally  ho  !  tally  ho  !" 

"  Tinkle,  tinkle,"  went  her  playmate's  golden 
bells,  quicker,  quicker  rushed  these  four  racing 
little  feet.  At  last  the  naughty  sprite  whis- 
pered, ''  Hush  !     Down  upon  it  ?" 

They  stopped  running ;  they  drew  in  their 
breath ;  they  crept  on  tiptoe,  softly — softly. 
Yes,  there  on  a  gray  stone  stretched  the  butter- 
fly— a  lovely  flamy  thing;  all  blue  and  pink 
and  delicate  golden  markings.  Softly  it  bal- 
anced itself,  backward  and  forward,  giving  an 
occasional  shake  and  quiver  to  its  wings. 

Kitty's  spirit  was  roused  ;  she  was  in  a  manner 
angry  with  that  \vinged  creature  that  had  es- 
caped her  so  long.  Now,  with  one  blow  of  her 
little  hand  the  swift  tiny  thing  might  lie  there 
still  forever. 

The  naughty  sprite  whispered,  "  Down  upon 
it!" 

Up  flashed  Kitty's  hand. 

"  I  was  so  merr)',  meriy,"  whispered  a  voice 
in  her  eai". 

"It  is  only  a  l»utterfly,"  urged  the  sprite. 


Pla  t  obo  und,  and  after.  213 

Kitty  looked  np.  Her  guardian  cliild  was 
pale  as  a  dying  cliild,  he  wlio  had  been  so  rosy 
siicli  a  little  while  ago ;  and  in  that  upward 
glance  Kitty  perceived  that  all  around,  the 
woodland  creatures  were  gazing  at  her.  The 
birds,  the  field-mice,  the  rabbits  with  flapping 
ears,  the  hares  had  stopped  running  to  look,  the 
squirrels  chatting  and  cracking  their  nuts,  the 
dragon-flies  hung  suspended  about  like  animated 
jewels,  green  frogs,  and  toads  with  ^vonderful 
eyes,  all  were  looking  at  her,  but  not  as  they 
had  looked  in  Play-ground  Land.  In  all  their 
eyes,  that  had  been  so  friendly  and  trustful, 
thei'e  was  now  a  fear  and  a  reproach. 

"  Are  you  the  same  Kitty  whom  we  trusted  ?" 
they  seemed  to  be  saying.  "  AVill  you  take 
one  of  our  innocent,  joyous  lives,  just  for 
play  r 

"  No,  I  will  not,"  cried  Kitty  ;  and  she  let  a 
tear  drop  upon  the  butterfly.  And  a  lo^v  cry 
of  joy  burst  from  God's  lovely,  helpless,  wild 
creatures,  and  the  forest  trees  stii'red  as  if  draw- 
ing a  sigh  of  relief. 

"  Silly  !"  hissed  the  naughty  sprite ;  and  away 


214  l)0W2f  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 

scampered  the  strange  little  girl  in  a  pout,  and 
tinkling  her  golden  bells. 

But  the  guardian  child,  all  rosy  with  glad- 
ness, laughed,  and  its  laugh  had  the  velvety 
note  of  the  blackbird's  whistle  ;  and  again  there 
sounded  on  Kitty's  ear  that  airy  peal  of  Christ- 
mas bells. 

But  Kitty's  little  heart  was  still  sore  with 
the  reproacli  of  the  wild  animals'  questioning 
eyes. 

"  They  trusted  me  !"  she  sobbed,  "  and  I 
would  have  killed  one  of  them  for  i)lay." 

"  Who  was  that  little  girl  who  ran  so  fast  ?" 
she  asked  her  guardian  child  when  she  once 
more  found  herself  standing  upon  the  narrow 
path  following  tlie  star. 

"  Thoughtlessness,"  lie  replied  ;  "  and  I  can 
answer  for  it,  notliiiig  runs  so  fast  as  that 
empty-headed  ci'eature  can  race  along." 


"  1  AND  MYSt^LF."  215 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


Kitty  stopped  and  looked  around,  for  she 
heard  a  muttering  as  of  two  people  talking  con- 
fidentially together. 

Yes,  there  were  two  figures  in  front  of  her, 
standing  with  their  arms  round  each  other's 
necks.  They  ^vere  so^like  that  Kitty  felt  sure 
they  were  twins.  They  had  satisfied  round  eyes 
and  big  faces  and  doul)le  chins,  and  wore 
steeple-crowned  hats,  tilted  on  one  side,  which 
gave  them  a  jaunty  look. 

All  at  once  Kitty  started  back,  for  she  per- 
ceived that  one  of  the  figures  was  solid  and  the 
other  quite  transparent ;  through  it  she  could 
see  the  tree  against  which  it  leaned. 

"  Why — who — who — what  is  tliat  T  she 
gasped  nervously. 

"  That  is  Myself,"  said  the   opaque  one,  roll- 


316  DOWJSr  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

ing  his  eyes  with  an  affectionate  grin  in  the 
direction  of  his  comrade,  who  rolled  his  pale 
round  eyes  and  grinned  a  ghostly  grin  in  an- 
swer. 

"  Then  who  are  you  ?"  asked  Kitty  timidly. 

"  I — why,  I  am  I,"  he  answered  rather  sul- 
lenly. 

"  That's  what  we  are — Myself  and  I,"  said  a 
voice  hard  and  thin  like  a  spectral  rattle,  Avhicli 
Kitty  perceived  emanated  from  the  vapory 
figure. 

"  I  never  knew  there  was  a  difference  between 
Myself  and  I,"  murmured  Kitty,  Av^ho  felt  com- 
pelled to  gaze  at  that  transparent  form,  although 
she  would  much  rather  not  have  looked.  It 
was  so  very  uncomfortable  to  see  that  tree 
through  it. 

"  I  made  him ;  is  he  not  a  beauty  ?"  said  I, 
[)n)iidly  pointing  with  his  thumb,  and  a  grin  to 
his  companion. 

Myself  acknowledged  the  compliment  by 
bowing  his  misty  head,  and  grinning  likewise. 

*'  How  did  you  make  him  i?"  asked  Kitty  ^vith 
a  little  shiver. 


*'  /  AND  MYSELF." 


217 


"  I  made  him,"  saitl  I,  "  with  my  thoughts.  I 
thought  of  myself  night  and  day,  talking,  eat- 
ing, walking,  sleeping,  I  thought  of  myself,  and 


one  day  there  was  Myself  before  me — the  dear 
— he  never  quits  me — never — we  gaze  at  each 
other — we  love  each  other." 

"  And   we   love    nobody  else — nobody — no- 


218  DO  WN  TEE  8N0  W  STATUS. 

body — nobody  else,"  joined  in  the  tliin  rattle 
of  a  voice. 

"  Are  you  never  tired  of  each  other  ? — I — 
mean — of — of — well,  I  don't  know  how  to  put 
it — quite — for  you  are  not  each  other,"  said 
Kitty. 

"  Tired  !"  shrieked  the  two  voices  together  ; 
and  then  the  two  beings  fell  into  each  other's 
arms. 

"  If  you  please,"  said  Kitty,  after  having 
watched  this  scene  of  affection,  and  feeling 
rather  neglected,  "  will  you  tell  me  if  it  is  a 
long  way  out  of  this  wood  ?" 

"  A  very  long  way,"  said  I,  cheerily  looking 
up. 

'' AVe  don't  care  a  dump  how  long  it  is,  pro- 
vided we  have  not  to  walk  it,"  chimed  Myself, 
airily  wagging  its  head. 

"  I  am  very  tired,"  said  Kitty  des]3ondently, 
and  tears  ruslied  into  her  eyes. 

'^  I  suppose  you  are,"  remarked  I  indiffer- 
ently. 

"  That  is  no  matter  to  us,"  said  Myself,  grin- 
ning his  ghostly  smile.  . 


"  I  AND  MYSELF."  219 

"I  cannot  offer  you  this  seat,"  said  I,  "for 
Myself  must  sit  there.  I  am  afraid  of  tiring 
Myself.  It  is  a  duty  I  owe  to  Myself,  never  to 
tire  Myself — precious  one — never  to  let  Myself 
be  hungry  or  thirsty — dearest  creature — or 
any  harm  come  to  Myself — excellent  fello^v." 
Saying  this  I  and  Myself  sat  do^vn  side  by 
side  on  the  mossy  roots  of  a  tree,  and  looked 
up  at  Kitty  with  a  grin  that  made  the 
spectral  face  of  Myself  more  than  ever  like 
that  of  I. 

"  Selfish  thing  !"  muttered  Kitty  indignantly. 
"  It  must  be  Goljlin  Selfishness." 

"Yes,  G()l)lin  Selfishness,"  whispered  the 
guardian  child,  and  his  voice  was  anxious. 
"Take  care!" 

"  Oh  !"  said  Kitty,  once  more  setting  off  at  a 
run,  "there's  no  danger  for  me.  It  ^vill  be 
enough  to  think  of  that  ci'eepy,  misty,  ugly 
Myself,  never  to  think  of  myself  again, 
lest—" 

But  she  stopped. 

"  AVell,  here  is  some  one  coming  who  is  not 
running,"  cried  Kitty,  laughing. 


220 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


"The  walking  picture  of  Cleverness,"  the 
naughty  sj)rite  chuckled. 

If  it  was  a  little  old  man  or  a  very  old-look- 
ing boy  who  now  approached  Kitty  could  not 


determine.  He  wore  a  pair  of  blue  spectacles 
astride  upon  his  hooked  nose,  which  jutted  out 
over  very  thin  lips,  and  was  rather  blue  and 
frost-bitten.     Altogether   he  was  uncommonly 


"J  AND  myself:'  221 

like  an  owl,  Kitty  thought.  Whoever  he  Avas, 
this  personage  walked  slowly,  holding  a  sun- 
shade open  in  one  hand,  and  a  warm  overcoat 
slung  over  his  other  arm.  He  was  apparently 
prepared  to  meet  every  sort  of  weather.  Kitty 
noticed  also  that  his  ears  were  stuffed  with 
cotton-wool. 

"Well,"  she  said  aloud,  addressing  nobody 
in  particular,  and  with  a  broad  smile,  "  this 
must  be  Mr.  Take-care-of -himself." 

"  An  excellent  name,"  answered  the  little  old 
man,  or  the  very  old-looking  boy.  The  cotton- 
wool in  his  ears  did  not  seem  to  deafen  sound. 
"  And  I  would  advise  you  to  deserve  such  a 
name." 

"  Not  if  I  must  w^ear  those  big  spectacles  to 
deserve  it,"  laughed  Kitty. 

"  Don't  say  a  word  against  my  spectacles  till 
you  have  looked  through  them,"  answered  her 
new  acquaintance. 

He  had  a  cold,  crisp  voice,  and  he  seemed  to 
peck  his  words  as  a  fowl  pecks  grain.  From 
his  pocket  he  pulled  out  another  pair  of  blue 
glasses.  "  Just  try  this  pair  and  tell  me  wdiat 
you  see." 


2)IZ  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS, 

"  Don't !"  whispered  the  guardian  child. 

"  Do,  just  for  the  fun  of  it,"  urged  the  naughty 
sprite  in  a  coaxing  tone. 

"  I  shall  wait  till  I  want  spectacles  to  make 
a  fright  of  myself,"  said  Kitty,  and  she  would 
have  walked  on. 

"  What  do  you  see  ?"  asked  the  blue-spec- 
tacled personage,  rubbing  the  glasses  he  had 
taken  out  of  his  l^reast-pocket. 

"  I  see,"  said  Kitty,  "  the  wood.  A  little  way 
off  I  see  a  delicious  swing-swong  seat  made  of 
moss,  hanging  between  two  trees.  Yes,  I  see  a 
little  pale  child,  all  in  rags,  a  cripjile,  leaning 
on  his  crutch.  He  wants  to  get  on  the  swing- 
swong.     Oh,  I  shall  run  and  help  him  !" 

"  Just  take  a  peep  at  the  same  scene  through 
these  spectacles,"  said  the  odd-looking  being. 

"Don't !"  Avhispered  the  guardian  child. 

"  Just  a  peep  to  please  him,"  urged  the  sprite 
good-naturedly. 

"  Well,  only  a  peep,"  said  Kitty,  and  she 
set  the  blue  spectacles  on  her  nose. 

At  first  she  saw  nothing  at  all.  Everything 
was  dancing,  Avhirling  about    her.     The  earth 


'^I  AND  MYSELF."  223 

seemed,  to  rusli  up  into  the  sky,  the  sky  seemed 
to  swoop  down  upon  the  earth. 

Then  the  scene  began  to  clear.  She  saAv  the 
same  tree,  but  it  looked  more  shady  and  de- 
lightful ;  the  same  mossy  seat,  but  now  it  ap- 
peared more  inviting.  The  sunshine  seemed 
brighter  in  that  spot,  the  shade  cooler ;  it  ap- 
peared the  loveliest  nook  she  had  ever  set  eyes 
upon.  The  child  struck  her  as  a  \vliite,  dwarf- 
ish, ugly  little  intruder — a  sort  of  small  mon- 
ster. AVhat  right  had  it  to  be  there  ?  He  spoiled 
the  place. 

"We'll  drive  him  off,"  said  the  owl-faced 
being. 

"  But  hell  cry,"  said  Kitty  uncomfortaldy. 

"Just  put  a  small  piece  of  this  cotton-wool 
into  your  ear,"  suggestedher  new  ac(piaintance, 
offering  her  some  that  he  drew  out  of  his 
breast-pocket. 

Kitty  took  a  morsel  hesitatingly  and  put  it 
into  her  right  ear ;  the  naughty  sprite  extended 
its  paw,  took  a  larger  bit,  and  clapped  it  into 
her  left  ear. 

At  first  Kitty  thought  she  had  grown  quite 


224  DO  M'N  TUE  SNO  W  ST  A  IRS. 

deaf — a  great  silence  seemed  to  close  around 
her,  yet  she  heard  the  swish  of  the  trees  and 
the  song  of  the  birds ;  but  some  sound  was 
missing,  some  sound  that  she  was  accustomed 
to  hear.  Then  she  knew  that  there  had  been 
ever  present  a  murmur  in  her  ear,  as  that  of 
other  children  Aveeping,  other  children  laugh- 
ing- 
It  was  this  little  tlirol)l)ing  music,  sad  and 

gay,  that  she  no  longer  heard.  Through  the 
silence  the  naughty  sprite  in  her  o^vu  voice 
cried:  "I  want  to  swing  in  this  mossy  seat,  in 
the  place  of  that  ug]}',  sick-looking  child." 

So  lovely  appeared  that  sheltered  nook,  so 
aggravatingly  comfortable  the  pale  cliild,  that 
Kitty  set  off  at  a  run.  As  she  ran  she  sliivered  ; 
as  if  wintei'  liad  suddenly  overtaken  her  on  tliat 
sunshiny  day. 

AVliat  was  it?  C^older  and  colder,  like  a 
chain  of  ice  round  her  thi'oat.  Kitty  put  up 
her  hands  to  feel  ^^llat  was  there.  The  nauu^li- 
ty  sprite  was  hugging  her  close. 

She  stop})e(l  running.  AVhere  was  the  guard- 
ian   chihl  i     Slie  could  see  it  nowhere.    Could 


"  I  AND  MYSELF."  225 

the  spectacles  be  blinding  her  to  tlie  sight  of 
its  sweet  face  ?  She  tried  to  take  them  off  ;  but 
they  seemed  to  have  become  part  of  her  nose. 

Pull,  pull  went  Kitty.  At  last,  with  a 
wrench  that  seemed  to  root  up  her  nose,  she 
detached  them  and  threw  them  a  long  way  oif. 

Yes,  high  above  her,  restlessly  hovering, 
wringing  its  hands,  she  now  could  just  see  her 
guardian  child,  white  as  the  winter  moon  ^vllen 
the  sun  is  still  shining.  Its  lips  moved,  but 
she  could  not  hear  what  it  said.  Tlie  wool 
in  her  ears  made  her  deaf  to  the  sound  of  its 
voice. 

With  a  tug  Kitty  pulled  out  the  horrid, 
clinging  cotton-wool ;  then  she  heard  the  voice 
of  her  guardian  child,  crying, ''  Don't  turn  away 
the  cripple  !"  and  witli  that  voice  back  came 
the  old  sound,  like  a  familiar  song,  sad  and  gay, 
crooning  in  her  ear,  and  the  clam})  of  a  little 
crutch,  telling  a  pitiful  story  of  tiny  feet  that 
would  never  run  or  dance. 

The  cripple  grasped  his  crutch  and  ^vas  hui*- 
rying  away,  when  Kitty  ran  to  him,  took  his 
thin  hand,  and  led  him  back  to  the  mossy  seat. 


226 


DOWN  THE  JSNOW  STAIRS. 


She  kisssd  the  pale,  thin  face,  and  her  tears 
dropped  upon  it,  and  down  came  the  guardian 
child  on  her  shoulder,  more  beautiful  than  ever, 
its  wings  like  pink  flowers,  its  hair  like  a  crown 


of  light.  In  another  moment  the  nauglity  s])rite 
had  dropped  its  arms  from  Kitty's  neck,  and  out 
pealed  the  distant  Christmas  l)ells. 

"  0]]^  I  never  tliouglit  I  shoiijd  lia\e  }jeen  so 


' '  I  AND  M  YSELF."  337 

seliisli  1"  sobbed  Kitty ;  "  and  tlie  child  was  a 
cripple  like  Johnnie." 

The  hot  tears  blinded  her,  but  the  guardian 
child  dried  them  as  they  fell  with  his  bright 
wings.  Never  had  he  looked  so  sweet,  so  good, 
so  bright,  so  like  a  tiny  angel  Johnnie.  Kitty 
stretched  out  her  hands ;  she  would  have  liked 
to  press  him  to  her  heart,  but  the  guardian 
child  shook  his  head.  "  Wait,  w^ait !  The  jour- 
ney is  not  over  yet,"  he  murmured. 

"  It  is  so  long,  so  difficult !"  cried  Kitty  as 
once  more  she  stood  upon  the  narrow  path,  and 
the  star  moved  above  it,  seeming  more  than 
ever  like  a  bird  of  fire  winging  its  fearless  way. 
"I  shall  not  fall  into  another  temptation.  I 
shall  not  listen  to  what  any  one  says  ^vhom  I 
may  meet.  I  shall  do  just  what  you  tell  me, 
you  darling,  pretty  Johnnie  spirit." 

The  way  lay  now  through  a  lovely  bit  of 
country;  the  honeysuckle  tAvined  above,  the 
soft  grass  was  thick  Avith  flowers.  A  little 
breeze  carried  the  sweetest,  (juaintest  perfumes  ; 
it  was  as  if  everything  was  rejoicing  and  in 
amity  with  her.     The  path  seemed  to  be  grow- 


228  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

ing  less  difficult ;  it  ascended  mtli  a  pleasant 
easy  swell.  Kitty  now  went  merrily  along;  the 
hard  journey  must  be  near  its  close.  The  guard- 
ian child  fluttered  hither  and  thither,  some- 
times hiding  among  the  flowers  and  laughing  at 
her  through  the  petals.  The  sprite  remained 
silent  and  quiet. 

All  at  once  the  guardian  child  flew  back  to 
its  post  on  Kitty's  shoulder;  the  self-sprite 
picked  up  its  pointed  ears, 

"  Something  is  going  to  happen,"  thought 
Kitty ;  "  but  I  shall  be  wise,  I  shall  not  talk  to 
any  one,  ho^vever  beautiful  or  comical." 

She  looked  ahead,  but  no  one  was  advancing. 
The  road  went  in  and  out  through  the  pleasant 
trees,  the  star  glided  above  them. 


WAS  IT  JOHNNIE'S  FACE.  229 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WAS  IT  Johnnie's  face? 

How  strange  it  seemed  !  Something  was 
going  to  happen,  yet  all  was  so  still,  and  there 
was  nothing  to  disturb  the  scene. 

Suddenly  a  bluebird  flew  across.  It  settled 
on  a  bush  starry  Avith  wild  white  roses.  It  put 
its  head  on  one  side  and  looked  at  Kitty  with 
the  brightest,  friendliest  eyes.  It  A\'as  quite 
blue,  except  for  a  tuft  of  golden  feathers  on  its 
head,  and  a  line  of  golden  feathers  round  its 
neck  like  a  fairy  necklace,  Kitty  had  never 
seen  anything  so  wonderful  as  this  blueljird. 
She  stopped  to  look  at  it,  and  the  bird  looked 
back  at  her  with  its  ^vinning  eyes.  Kitty  ad- 
vanced on  tiptoe,  and  it  fluttered  a  little 
f  ui'ther  into  the  wood.  As  it  flew  oft'  it  uttered 
a  note. 

"  Listen  !"  said  the  naughty  sprite,  lifting  its 
paw  and  giving  Kitty  a  pat. 


230  I>0  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

What  a  note  that  was  !  "  Glug  !  glug  !  glug !" 
deep  as  the  whistle  of  a  bullfinch,  then  "  Tri — 
11 — ill — ill !"  it  went  like  a  lark  caroling  up 
in  the  sky  ;  then  suddenly  the  song  changed, 
and  now  it  was  like  a  nightingale  singing  in 
the  moonlight.  Kitty's  heart  swelled  as  she 
listened  to  the  song  of  the  beautiful  creature, 
and  as  it  sang  it  skimmed  through  the  wood, 
now  floating  like  a  sea-gull  on  blue  wings,  now 
balancing  itself  on  the  branch  of  one  of  the 
forest  trees. 

"  Come  on  !  Do  not  put  off  any  longer.  It 
sings  to  keep  you  from  following  the  star," 
whispered  the  guardian  cliild. 

"  Ah  !  let  me  listen  a  moment !"  pleaded 
Kitty. 

"  Listen  !  listen  !"  said  tlie  naughty  sjirite, 
and  down  it  gamboled  irom.  Kitty's  shoulder, 
seeming  to  call  and  to  entice  the  bird,  ^vhich 
flew  out  of  the  ^vood  and  perched  on  a  ])ougli 
singing;  the  tuft  of  golden  feathers  on  its  head 
stood  u})  like  a  crown,  its  golden  necklace  rose 
like  a  rulf  I'ound  its  throat. 

The   sprite   laughed,   tossed   back   its  head. 


WAS  IT  JOHNNIE'S  FACE?  231 

frisked  about,  keeping  time  to  tlie  bluebird's 
song.  Kitty  thought  it  was  the  prettiest 
sight. 

"  Watch  the  star  !  The  bird  is  a  temptation 
— it  is  idle  pleasure.  See,  it  plays  with  your 
naughty  sprite.  It  sings  to  lead  you  astray," 
whispered  the  guardian  child,  and  its  pink  wings 
fluttered  in  a  tremor  of  anxiety. 

Still  Kitty  lingered. 

"  Come  on,  for  Johnnie's  sake — to  win  a 
Christmas  blessing  for  Johnnie !"  urged  the 
guardian  child. 

Kitty  turned  quickly  in  the  direction  to 
which  the  guardian  child  pointed.  The  star 
was  gliding  no  longer  over  the  pleasant  wood  ; 
its  course  lay  over  a  path  that  was  ver}-  steep, 
bordered  by  no  flowers,  shaded  by  no  overhang- 
ing trees.  She  ran  some  steps,  and  her  guardian 
child  pressed  its  rosy  wings  against  lier  ears  to 
muflle  the  sono;  of  the  l)ird. 

But  louder  and  louder  it  sang,  and  that 
piercing  melody  seemed  to  coil  itself  like  a 
string  round  .  Kitty's  heart,  pulling  her  back. 
She    stopped    running.     The    bird   seemed    to 


232 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STATES. 


sing  of  frolics,  and  Kitty  felt  as  if  games  of 
four-corners,  blind-man's-buff,  hide-and-go-seek 
were  all  hustling  and  bustling  about  in  her 

head,  and  ting- 
ling in  her  feet. 
She  turned  to 
look. 

"Don't!" 
murmured  her 
g  u  a  1'  d  i  a  n 
child. 

But  Kitty 
looked.      The 
naughty  sprite 
and   the   blue- 
bird were  hav- 
ing  a  m  e  r  r  y 
game.      The 
bird  flew  as  it 
sang    and   the 
s  p  1'  i  t  e    gam- 
boled after  it ;  it  hid  in  the  bushes  and  the  sprite 
Avent  frisking  and  seeking  for  it ;  then  up  the 
bluebird  would  fly  and  wheel  round  and  round, 


WAS  IT  JOHNNIE'S  FACE?  233 

singing,  as  if  a  thousand  musical  glasses  were 
tinkling  in  its  throat.  The  sprite  had  the  droll- 
est air;  jerking  his  head  on  one  side  and 
beckoning  to  Kitty. 

"  Oh  !  let  me  join  in  the  game  !"  cried  Kitty, 
and  back  she  ran  toward  the  bird  and  the 
sprite. 

The  guardian  child  flew  around  her,  crying, 
"  Do  not  phiy  ^vith  your  naughty  sprite  !" 

As  he  spoke  he  spread  his  wings  before 
Kitty's  eyes.  But  the  music  was  in  Kitty's 
heart,  in  her  ears,  it  seemed  to  l)e  in  her  hair, 
in  her  feet — it  was  everywhere. 

''  I  sliall  play  !"  slie  cried  impatiently,  and 
she  pushed  aAvay  her  guardian  child. 

She  did  not  liear  his  sob,  she  did  not  notice 
that  she  had  struck  his  winci:  and  tliat  some 
rosy  feathers  hiy  stre^vu  on  tlie  ground. 
One  little  rosy  feather  liad  dropped  on  the 
bosom  of  her  dress,  and  ^vas  caught  there  by 
the  folds. 

She  did  hM)k  round  to  see  her  guardian  child, 
Avith  drooping  wing,  growing  paler  and  paler 
— vanishing  a^vay. 


234  DOW^  TlI/£  SNOW  STAIRS. 

Deeper  and  deeper  flew  the  bird  into  the 
wood,  and  sweeter  grew  its  song.  The  naughty 
sprite  gamboled  after  it,  Kitty  gamboled  after 
the  spi'ite.  A  star  rose  in  the  wood  ;  it  was 
like  a  blue  diamond ;  it  did  not  glide  above  the 
tree-tops,  it  danced  about  the  ground,  as  if  it 
were  dancing  to  the  song  of  the  bluebird. 
The  naughty  sprite  scampered  up  the  tree  and 
pelted  Kitty  with  acorns ;  it  now  peeped  at 
her  from  behind  the  trunks,  now  swung  itself 
doAvn  and  jum})ed  into  her  arms  all  in  a  pant 
and  tremble  of  play.  And  the  bluebird 
wheeled  and  circled  above  Kitty's  head,  and 
still  it  sang. 

Skipping  out  of  the  wood  came  a  hundred 
little  creatures.  They  all  had  pointed  ears, 
curly  tails,  and  sparkling  black  eyes.  They 
carried  tiny  lanterns  that  were  blue  and  daz- 
zling as  the  stai'.  They  were  tlie  meri-iest,  most 
frolicsome  of  elves,  but  the  friskiest  and  most 
fascinating  of  all  was  Kitty's  nauglit}'  self- 
Gprite. 

Louder  sang  the  bird  and  louder;  its  song 
was  now  a  dancing  measure  ;  it  echoed  through 


WAS  IT  JOHNNIE'S  FACE?  235 

the  forest  as  if  gayety  were  tlie  single  spirit  of 
the  place.  The  blue  star  bounded  and  danced 
about  the  ground,  here,  there,  everywhere,  as  if 
it  had  gone  crazy  with  delight.  The  playful 
creatures  danced  and  ^vaved  their  lanterns,  zig- 
zag, up  and  down,  crossing,  circling  in  a  merry 
maze.  Kitty  seized  the  fore  paws  of  her 
naughty  sprite,  and  dance,  dance,  dance  they 
danced  together.  Livelier  and  livelier  grew 
the  bluebird's  song,  and  madder  and  madder 
grew  the  dance. 

All  at  once — wh-ir-r — the  bird's  melody  had 
chano;ed  to  somethino;  between  a  screech  and  a 
rattle.  Kitty  looked  up.  Twinkle,  tAvinkle, 
round  and  round,  like  a  fl amino;  Catherine 
wheel,  the  bluebird's  wings  (piivered  and 
shook ;  its  tuft  of  golden  feathers  disa})peared 
from  its  head  ;  the  gold  collar  faded  from  its 
neck ;  the  light  that  shone  in  its  blue  wings 
was  extinguished,  and  instead  of  the  bird  there 
hung  on  the  branch  ^vhere  it  had  perched  a  big 
black  slug. 

Kitty  started.  What  a  transformation  scene  ! 
All  around  her  moved  a  thousand  foul  and  ugly 


336 


J)OWI^  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


shapes.     The  pretty    frisking    creatures    had 
turned  to  scaly  black  beetles  as  big  as  rats  :  some 


wriggled  like 
adders ;  others 
looked  like  mon- 
ster e  a  r  ^v  i  g  s , 
with    tails    like 

pinchers;  othei's  were  little  men  with  lieads 
of  frogs  ;  and  the  ugliest  of  all  ^vas  lier  naughty 
sprite.  It  had  cruel  eyes,  and  its  fur  was  black 
and  coarse  like  Ijristles.     On(;e  more  it  sprang 


WAS  IT  JOHNNIE'S  FACE?  337 

upon  her  shoulder,  and  laughed  and  muttered, 
"  No  Christmas  !    No  blessing  !    No  Johnnie  !" 

Kitty  felt  quite  cold.  She  looked  round  to 
her  right  shoulder.  No  guardian  child  perched 
there.  She  looked  up  to  the  sky  for  her  guid- 
ing star,  but  it  was  gone.  She  was  alone  in  the 
pathless  woods  with  her  naughty  sprite  grin- 
ning and  muttering.  It  seemed  to  her  also  that 
a  mist  was  closing  around  her.  Then  Kitty 
gave  a  great  cry.  "  My  guardian  child  !  my 
guardian  child  !"  she  called. 

Her  cry  was  repeated  by  a  thousand  shrill, 
mocking  voices. 

"  No  Christmas  !  No  blessing  !  No  John- 
nie!" 

"  Look  !"  muttered  the  sprite,  pointing. 

Kitty  perceived  something  lying  white  on 
the  ground.  At  first  slie  thought  it  was  a  lily, 
then  she  saw  it  was  a  pale  white  face,  lying 
very  still,  with  closed  e}'es  and  a  rim  of  golden 
hair  around  its  forehead.  AVas  it  Johnnie's 
face  ? 

As  she  peered  fearfully  to  see,  the  mist 
gathered  and  hid   it.     Tlien  she  found  that  a 


238  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

dreadful  thing  was  happening  ;  the  bushes  were 
closing  round  her.  She  set  off  at  a  run  to  find 
an  opening,  but  there  was  none — round  and 
round — closer  and  closer  the  bushes  gath- 
ered. 

"  Punishment  Land  !"  muttered  the  sprite. 

"  Punishment  Land  !"  echoed  the  mocking 
voices. 

Faintly  Kitty  heard  a  sound  of  tramping. 
Little  feet  were  running  round  and  round, 
backward  and  forwai'd,  zig-zag;  rebellious, 
weary,  foolish,  perplexed  little  feet. 

Then  she  knew  that  she  had  fallen  back, 
that  she  was  in  Disol)edienceMaze.  It  was  the 
fog  of  Punishment  Land  that  was  rising  about 
her,  ])lotting  out  thesiglit  of  everything  but  of 
one  little  pink  feather  that  lay,  a  rosy  streak, 
close  to  lier  lieart. 

"  My  guardian  child  !  my  guardian  child  !" 
slie  cried  witli  all  her  might. 

"  You  wounded  it ;  you  drove  it  away," 
chuckled  the  evil  sprite, 

Kitty  put  her  hands  up  to  her  ears  to  shut 
out  that  jeering  voice.     She  cried  the  louder. 


WAS  IT  JOHNNIE'S  FACE?  239 

"  My  guardian  child  !  Forgive  me  !  forgive 
me  !     Come  back  to  me  !" 

There  came  a  flutter  of  wings,  something 
bright  was  flying  toward  her,  piercing  its  way 
through  the  fog ;  yes,  it  was  her  guardian  child 
dragging  one  wing,  but  bravely  beating  the  air 
with  the  other,  fluttering  toward  her,  pale,  its 
rainbow  dress  faintly  shining,  its  eyes  bright 
with  tears. 

"  Because  you  trusted  me  Love  sent  me  back 
to  you,"  it  murmured  as  it  nestled  in  Kitty's 
outstretched  arms.  She  burst  into  a  great  fit 
of  grateful  tears,  while  the  sprite  cowered  and 
trembled. 

"  Hurry !"  whispered  the  guardian  child. 
"  The  star  is  gone.  It  will  be  difiicult  to  find 
the  path,  but  you  must  follow  where  I  lead." 

A  cry  rose  in  Kitty's  heart :  '^  I  shall  follow 
wherever  you  lead ;"  but  she  remembered  how 
she  had  most  disobeyed  after  she  had  most 
protested,  so  she  sobbed  and  was  silent. 

Through  the  mist  shone  the  rainbow-clothed 
form  of  the  guardian  child,  and  Kitty  followed. 
Wherever  her  guide  told  her  to  plant  her  foot 


240  I>0  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

she  placed  it;  tlirough  marsliy  ground  that 
quivered  and  shook  under  her,  where  crawling 
things  like  living  roots  wound  themselves  about 
her  feet,  as  if  to  drag  her  down,  through  narrow 
places  where  creatures  that  seemed  all  arms 
sought  to  clasp  her  and  hold  her  back,  over 
thorns  that  bruised  and  scratched  her  as  she 
walked.  Kitty  followed  her  guardian  child 
without  a  murmur.  Tormenting  apparitions 
waved  their  tiny  lanterns  and  showed  her  an 
easier  path,  but  Kitty  did  not  glance  aside. 
She  kept  her  eyes  steadfastly  fixed  upon  the 
rosy-^vinged  figure  that  went  before  her.  One 
question  only  lay  heavy  at  her  heart.  That 
lily-white  face  she  had  seen  through  the  mist, 
was  it  Johnnie's  dead  face  ?  All !  had  slie  lost 
the  Christmas  blessing  ? 

All  at  once,  wlien  the  way  seemed  most  per- 
plexing, the  guardian  cliild  gave  a  cry  and 
pointed  upward.  A  light  was  breaking  over 
the  tree-tops.     It  was  the  star  ! 

Out  of  the  mist  stepped  Kitty  and  her  guide, 
upon  the  pathway,  and  there  pealed  a  chime  of 
Christmas  bells.     Not  distant   bells,  but  clear 


WAS  IT  JOHNNIE'S  FACE? 


241 


and  joyous,  filling  the  air.  The  sky  was  yellow 
as  with  the  dawn ;  the  summer  had  passed ;  the 
snow  lay  white  on  the  ground. 


242  DO  WN  THE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


AT     THE    GATE. 


Kitty  rubbed  her  eyes. 

Where  was  she  ? 

She  was  just  at  home.  She  was  in  the  old 
familiar  wood,  the  entrance  into  which  she 
could  see  from  Johnnie's  window.  No,  there 
could  be  no  mistake ;  there  was  the  pool,  its 
silky  mantle  of  duckweed  now  glistening  wtih 
ice.  There,  yes,  there  was  the  gate  shaded  by 
the  gnarled  elm,  its  branches  like  a  candelabrum 
of  snow. 

It  is  the  gate  of  the  wood.  Kitty  flies  along 
the  path  till  she  has  reached  it.  She  stands 
and  looks.  The  dear  old  home  picture  is  there 
before  her.  She  sees  the  old  village  street,  the 
sweet-stuff  shop  is  just  round  the  corner.  There 
is  the  square  tower  of  the  church,  covered  with 
ivy,  and  there  is  her  home.     Over  its  red-gabled 


AT  THE  GATE.  243 

roof  the  star  is  shining  in  a  sky,  yellow  as  a 
bed  of  cowslips.  There  is  Johnnie's  window ; 
the  blue  curtains  are  drawn  across  it.  No 
one  is  stirring.  There  is  no  one  in  the 
garden ;  the  house  door  is  closed ;  the  blinds 
are  all  down.  Kitty  looks  fondly  at  the 
dear  tranquil  scene.  It  is  like  the  loveliest 
dream.  She  feasts  her  eyes  a  moment  upon 
it,  then  comes  in  her  heart  the  (juestion : 
"  Am  I  in  time  ?  What  secret  does  that  blue- 
curtained  window  hide  ?  Is  Johnnie  better  or 
is  he — " 

Kitty  tries  to  push  open  the  gate.  It  is 
locked.  She  pulls  at  the  latch  :  she  cannot  lift 
it.  She  tries  to  climb  over  the  gate :  it  seems 
to  grow  higher  and  higher.  She  cannot  reach 
the  top.  Then  she  hammers  wdth  her  little 
closed  fists  at  the  lock,  pushing  against  it  A\'itl] 
all  the  strength  of  her  body. 

"  Open,  open  !"  she  cries. 

AMll  not  some  one  come  to  open  to  her? 

''  Motliei',  mother  !"  again  cries  Kitty  with 
all  her  might.     AVill  no  one  open  'i 

Yes,  some  one  is  comiii2".     Is  it  her  mother 


244 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


coming  toward  lier  across  the  meadow  ?  It  is 
a  pale  lady  robed  in  white ;  and  as  her  long 
fair  mantle  trails  on  the  ground  a  flash  of  rain- 


how  light  glows  a  iiionient  and  then  fades  from 
the  snow. 

It  is  Love.     Her  face  is  brio-ht  and  tender. 


AT  THE  GATE.  245 

Her  gentle  fingers  are  on  tlie  latch.  The 
Christmas  bells  are  ringing  louder  and  louder. 

A  great  joy  seizes  Kitty.  She  is  in  time  ! 
She  is  in  time  ! 

"Have  you  resisted  all  the  temptations?" 
asks  Love  in  her  gentle  searching  voice.  "  Did 
you  never  once  lose  sight  of  the  star  ?  Did  you 
never  hurt  your  giTardian  child,  or  play  with 
your  naughty  sprite  ?" 

"  If  you  say  that  you  did  everything  that 
you  should  not  have  done,  you  will  not  see 
Johnnie,  or  hear  anything  about  him.  You  will 
have  to  go  back  to  Punishment  Laud,"  mutters 
the  sprite. 

A  cold  fear  seizes  Kitty. 

"  Tell  the  truth  !"  whispers  her  guardian 
child. 

"■  I  must  see  Johnnie  !  Oh  !  I  must  see  John- 
nie !     Open  the  gate  !"  cries  Kitty. 

"  Did  you  resist  the  temptations  ?"  asks  Love 
ao-ain,  her  tino;ers  remainino:  motionless  on  the 
latch. 

"  Do  not  ans^ver — smile  !  That  will  seem 
good,"  whispers  the  sprite. 


246  DOWN  THE  SNO W  8TA TR3. 

The  idea  strikes  Kitty  as  a  tappy  one.  A 
smile  is  not  telling  a  falsehood.  She  makes  an 
effort  as  she  broadens  her  lips  into  what  looks 
like  a  grin ;  she  thinks  Love's  fingers  are  be- 
ginning to  press  the  latch. 

"The  smile  means  a  falsehood.  Tell  the 
truth  !"  whispers  the  guardian  child. 

"  You  have  not  answered  !"  again  says  Love's 
voice. 

"  Open  the  gate,"  entreats  Kitty  in  anguish. 
"  Why  are  you  called  Love  when  you  can  stand 
there  and  not  open  the  gate  for  me  ?  I  want 
to  see  Johnnie.  I  want  to  know  if  he  is  alive. 
Oh  !  it  is  Christmas  morning.  Open  the  gate, 
open  the  gate  !" 

Kitty  has  pushed  lier  hands  through  the  bars 
as  she  implores.  She  has  caught  hold  of  Love's 
fingers,  and  is  trying  to  force  her  to  push  up 
the  latch.  But  still  tlie  strong  hands  remain 
motionless. 

"  Answer !"  repeats  the  gentle,  relentless 
voice. 

"  Say,  how  could  I  have  come  so  far  to  the 
end  of  the  journey  you  set  me  if  I  had  not 
obeyed  ?"  muttered  the  sprite. 


AT  THE  GATE!.  34'}' 

Kitty  draws  d,  long  breatli.  Tliat  seems  a 
right  thing  to  say.  It  is  iiot  false,  for  she  is 
here  at  the  journey's  end. 

She  begins,  "  How  could  Iha — "  when  she 
hears  the  guardian  angel's  whisper : 

"Evasion  is  falsehood.  Tell  the  truth." 
Then  Kitty  falls  on  her  knees. 

"  Oh,  why  are  you  called  Love,"  she  repeats, 
"  when  you  are  so  severe  ?  Why  will  you  keep 
pressing  me  with  questions  ?  It  is  Christmas 
morning  !  Let  me  see  Johnnie  !  Let  me  see 
Johnnie  !" 

But  Love  answers  only :  "  The  day  is  dawn- 
ing.    You  must  answer." 

"  Answer  truly !"  whispers  the  guardian 
child.  "  Never  mind  what  happens.  Answer 
truly." 

Kitty  puts  her  hands  over  her  eyes,  not  to 
see  that  dear  home-picture  fade  away,  that 
curtained  window  vanish  from  her  sight  with- 
out knowing  the  secret  that  it  hides  concerning 
Johnnie. 

"  I  loitered  with  every  temptation,"  she  says 
very  low  but  very  clearly  ;  "  but  my  guardian 


248 


BOWK  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


child  helped  me  to  escape,  till  at  last  I  struck 
it  and  drove  it  away.  Then  I  lost  sight  of  the 
star,  and  I  played  with  my  naughty   sprite." 

Kitty's     voice 


fails  here,  and 
with  a  sob  she 
stretches    her- 
self   down    on 
the     snow. 
She    hides 
her  face. 


She  will  not  see  the  mist  of  Punishment  Land 
rise,  and  blot  out  that  loved  familiar  scene. 
She   closes  her  ears,  not   to  hear  the  tramp  of 


At  the  gate.  249 

tlie  restless  feet,  the  sobbings  and  cries  of  tlie 
children  there. 

What  sound  pierces  through  the  silence  and 
reaches  muffled  through  the  hands  pressed 
tightly  against  her  ears  ?  She  removes  them 
and  listens.  It  is  the  sound  of  bells,  Christmas 
bells.  Louder  and  louder,  clearer  and  clearer 
they  ring.  The  happy  chimes  fill  all  the  air. 
Somebody  strokes  her  hair  wiili .  a  caressing 
touch,  a  voice  whispers,  ''  Good  old  Kitsy ; 
good  old  Kitsy  !" 

Kitty  looks  up.  It  is  her  guardian  child 
who  is  bending  over  her ;  with  Johnnie's  eyes 
he  looks  at  her ;  he  is  smiling ;  his  wings 
sparkle ;  his  rainbow  dress  is  like  woven  fire  ; 
his  hair  shines  like  a  tiny  sim  about  his  head. 

"  You  have  been  out  on  Christmas  Eve,"  he 
whispers ;  "  the  night  when  all  the  goblins  are 
abroad,  when  the  good  and  evil  spirits  Avalk  the 
earth.  But  it  is  the  night  when  love  is  strongest, 
and  keeps  those  safe  who  are  true.  Look  !  look  ! 
tlie  night  has  passed;  the  holy  morning  has 
dawned,  and  you  are  home." 

"  Home  !"  cries  Kitty,  starting  to  her  feet. 


250  I>0  WN  TEE  8N0  W  STAIRS. 

Yes,  the  familiar  scene  is  still  tliere — tlie  old 
street,  tlie  dear  red-roofed  home,  the  window 
with  the  curtains  drawn  across  it.  The  fog 
dims  the  scene  no  longer.  Love  is  unseen ;  but 
the  gate  is  standing  open,  wide  open,  and  a 
great  web  of  hoar-frost  hangs  on  the  latch. 
For  a  moment  Kitty  remains  stupidly  gazing. 
She  cannot  believe  it.  Then  she  runs  past  the 
gate  out  into  the  road  uttering  a  loud  cry, 
"  Johnnie  !  Johnnie  !" 

Then  again  another  cry,  "  Johnnie  !" 

It  seems  to  her  that  a  weak  voice  answers, 
"  Kitty  !  Kitty  !" 

Does  that  faint  voice  come  out  of  the  star  ? 
Does  it  speak  out  of  the  sky  to  her  ? 

Kitty  looks  up  :  her  foot  trips ;  she  falls — 
not  to  the  ground,  but  down,  down,  down,  and 
still  that  voice  tinkles  in  her  ear,  "  Kitty  ! 
Kitty !"     Then 


"  Kitty  !    Kitty  !      MerryChristmas,  Kitty  !" 
It  was  Johnnie's  voice. 

A  tiny  face  peeped  down  at  her  from  white 


AT  THE  GATE. 


251 


wrappings  and  shawls,  laughing  at  her  as  from 
a  hood  of  snow. 

Yes,  it  was  Johnnie — Johnnie  wrapped  up 


like  an  Esquimaux  ;  wrapped  out  of  all  shape ; 
a   bundle   of   white  wool    in    their    mother's 


arms. 


She,  too,  was  smiling  down  upon  her  little 
girl. 

Kitty  had  fallen  down,  down,  and  while  fall- 
ing had  lost  all  sense  of  everything  except  that 


252  DO  WN  THE  SNO  W  STAIRS. 

voice,  and  now  liere  she  was  back  again  in  her 
own  bed  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Oh  ! 
what  cannot  Love  do  ? 

Kitty  started  up,  and  before  she  could  say  a 
word  Johnnie  was  put  into  her  arms,  tucked 
up  into  the  bed  beside  her,  and  their  mother 
told  her  that  Johnnie  had  slept  through  the 
night,  and  that  he  had  turned  the  bad  corner 
of  his  illness.  "  He  begged  so  hard  to  be 
allowed  to  wake  you  up  by  calling  out  '  Merry 
Christmas,'  I  could  not  refuse  him,"  continued 
the  mother,  shedding  tears  of  gladness.  "  Christ- 
mas Day  has  brought  a  blessing." 

"  Happy  Christmas  to  everybody !"  said 
their  father,  now  putting  his  head  into  the 
room.  He  looked  as  if  he  would  like  to  say 
something  that  would  make  everybody  laugh. 
But  instead  of  that  he  paused  and  said  instead, 
in  a  very  husky  voice,  "  God  bless  little  John- 
nie !" 

"  That's  what  I  say,"  cried  nurse,  whisking 
a  tear  a^^'ay  with  the  corner  of  her  apron.  "  I 
thought  it  was  going  to  be  the  most  miserable 
Christmas  Day  that  ever  was,  but  Johnnie  get* 


AT  THE  GATE.  253 

ting  better  makes  it  as  different — as  different 
— as  if  this  was  a  Christmas-box  come  down  to 
this  house  from  heaven." 

Just  then  who  should  begin  to  whistle  but 
the  bullfinch  ?  His  cage  was  in  a  dark  corner, 
and  at  the  sound  of  that  unexpected  note 
Johnnie  clapped  his  tiny  hands  and  crowed 
with  delight.  Kitty  laughed  and  cried  together. 
And  if  the  bullfinch  did  not  mean,  by  bursting 
into  song  at  that  moment,  to  say,  "  Happy 
Christmas  to  all  the  world,  and  God  bless  little 
Johnnie,  and  all  the  children  in  it !"  I  don't 
know  what  it  meant,  and  I  give  up  guessing. 

^'  Oh,  Johnnie  !"  said  Kitty  in  a  whisper, 
when  she  was  left  alone  with  her  little  brother, 
"  something  wonderful  haj)pened  last  night.  It 
is  like  a  story." 

"  Is  it  as  wonderful  as  the  story  of  the  blue 
rose  ?"  asked  Johnnie  in  another  whisper. 

"  E-ver,  e-ver  so  much  more  wonderful !  And 
it  is  true,"  answered  Kitty  very  low  and  with  a 
nod  that  conveyed  a  great  deal  more  than  her 
^vords.     ^'  It  was  Christmas  Eve.     I  went  out. 


254 


DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS. 


and  all  the  goblins  and  the  elves  were  out.  I 
saw  them  and  talked  to  them,  but  there  was 
Love  also  taking  care  of  everybody  who  tried 
to  be  good.  It  is  the  night  when  Love  has 
most  power,  and  I  saw  my  guardian  child,  and 
my  naughty  self  in  the  shape  of  a  sprite,  and — 
But  hush !  some  one  is  coming,  and  it  is  a 
secret." 


THE    END 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     001  173  148     6 


